Fun Dough! (Simple, Quick, No-Cook Recipe)

The weather keeps teasing us here in Rochester, NY! It warms up, we play outside. The next day it's back to 17 degrees with chilling gusts of wind. Who wants to play outside in that?! We just want Spring to get here already.

While we await the big thaw, we keep testing out indoor activities. My four-year-old wanted to make cookies; but then I will spend the remainder of the week eating all the cookies. It all goes down like this:

KID: Mommy, can we have some cookies?

ME: You have to eat your lunch, and then you can have a cookie. (When Kid is not looking, sneak a cookie and shove into mouth. Repeat as necessary.)

Using my masterful skills of misdirection, I asked if he wanted to make some "messy stuff" instead - which is usually saved for outdoor play, where messes do not matter. But desperate times, ya know?

We decided to make some homemade play dough, instead of cookie dough. A quick search for recipes yielded this simple, no-cook version. Bonus: we had all of the ingredients on hand.

To make this version of fun dough, you'll need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 envelope of unsweetened Kool-Aid OR sugar-free Jell-O
• 1 cup boiling water

1. Mix together the flour, salt, oil, and Kool-Aid or Jell-O in a bowl.

2. Pour in the boiling water; mix well. Once cool enough to handle, AN ADULT should knead the dough until smooth.

3. Have fun with your fun dough! Be sure to store in a sealed container after playing. Storing in the refrigerator will extend the life of the dough. However, our dough has been in containers on the counter for a week and it is fine. 

Since the original request was to make cookies, and since all of the ingredients in this fun dough are edible (NOTE: the dough is technically edible, but it will taste awful), we used the rolling pin and the real cookie cutters.

Of course, with my boys it always comes back to cars. Or dinosaurs. Or both. The dough quickly became a roadway for trucks, and eventually a landscape for dinosaurs!

What do your kids like to do with fun dough/play dough? Post a Comment below and let us know!

I hope you have fun with this quick and easy fun dough. As always, thanks for reading.

Toilet-Paper Tube Snowman Craft

Yes, it's almost Valentine's Day. Chances are, if you are making crafts with your kids you are probably making hearts and cupids. But not our family. No. My boys wanted to make snowmen.

Since there is merely a sprinkling of snow left on the ground (no complaints), we made crafty snowpeople indoors. I found this idea through Pinterest on the JT Photography site.

Here is a look at the materials you will need.

MATERIALS FOR EACH SNOWPERSON:

• Toilet paper tube 
• White paper, cut to 4 1/2" x 6"
• Pipe cleaner, cut to 4"
• 2 pom poms
• 2 google eyes
• Orange foam sheet or construction paper to cut nose (approximately 1" long and about 1/2" wide at the base)
• Ribbon, cut to 12"
• 3 small buttons (or sequins)
• Cotton balls
• Paper plate or other base (other ideas: repurpose a shoe box, shirt box, or even a cereal box)
• Glue stick, white craft glue, and large glue dots
• Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:

Apply glue stick to the edges of the paper, line up the toilet paper tube with one short edge, then roll to cover the tube with paper. You may need to add more glue stick to seal the edge. Use scissors to trim the top or bottom, if necessary.

Apply two glue dots to the top of your toilet paper tube - on opposite sides - and secure the pipe cleaner for the ear muffs.

Adhere a pom pom on each side to cover the ends of the pipe cleaner. Some of each glue dot should still be exposed around the pipe cleaner, and the pom poms will stick to that.

Use glue dots to adhere two google eyes. Then use glue stick to adhere a nose. Next, lay the ribbon on your crafting space and place the tube in the center. Swipe some glue stick across the center of the tube and tie a double-knot with the ribbon, using the glue to secure it in place. Trim the ends of the ribbon with scissors, if necessary.

Secure three buttons onto your snowperson with glue stick.

Next cover a paper plate with craft glue. 

Place the snowperson in the center, and add cotton balls around it to cover the plate.

We had so much fun making these yesterday, the boys are already asking to make them again today. I guess since it will be an early Spring, we should get all of the winter crafts in now.

I hope you have fun making some snow people. As always, thanks for reading.