Looking for a way for the kids to while away the hours? Let them make their own play dough or slime with ingredients from your kitchen or crafts cabinet, followed by an afternoon of creating and experimenting.
No-Cook Playdough
1 cup cold water
1 cup salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Food coloring or tempera paint
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Step 1: In bowl, mix water, salt, oil and enough food coloring or tempera paint to make a bright color. (Use food coloring if you are concerned about your young child putting the dough in her mouth.)
Step 2: Add flour and cornstarch gradually until the mixture reaches the consistency of bread dough.
Step 3: Sculpt, squish, cut out with cookie cutters and find more ways to have fun.
Step 4: Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag.
Note: If you find your playdough sticky, try a recipe that requires cooking
Oobleck
1 cup cornstarch
½ cup water
Food coloring (optional)
Deep baking pan (optional)
Tools (see below)
Step 1: Add the cornstarch to the water. (For a large batch, use 3 one-pound boxes of cornstarch and 4½-5 cups of water). Add a few drops of food coloring to the water first, if you like.
Step 2: Mix the oobleck with your hands. If it is too dry, add more water. If it’s too soupy, add more cornstarch until it’s good and gloppy.
Step 3: Poke the oobleck, pour it, pull on it, squeeze it, stir it, and see how it reacts.
Step 4: Pour the oobleck into a baking pan to investigate it with tools such as an egg carton, bar of soap, paper clip, aluminum foil, drinking straw, plastic knife, craft stick, sponge, packing foam piece, bubble wrap, LEGO brick, small drinking cup and others you want to try.
When you’re all done your activity, you can save the oobleck for a few days in the refrigerator or throw it away in the trash or compost. Don’t pour it down the sink, because it will clog your drain!
Basic Slime
4 ounces (½ cup) white or clear glue
1 tablespoon Borax (You can find it with the laundry detergent in most supermarkets)
1½ cups water
Food coloring (optional)
Hand lotion
Step 1: Mix one cup of water and 1 tablespoon of Borax until it is dissolved. This is your “slime activator.” You can also use contact lens solution as an activator.
Step 2: Mix glue and ½ cup water together in a bowl.
Step 3: Add a few drops of food coloring if you want colored slime.
Step 4: Pour the Borax solution into the glue mixture, stirring slowly.
Step 5: Use your hands to knead the mixture until it comes together, and pour off any extra water.
Step 6: If your slime is too hard, you can knead in a few pumps of lotion to white glue slime for a stretchier consistency.
Step 7: Play with your slime!
Step 8: You can store slime in a plastic bag or airtight container in the refrigerator to keep it from growing mold.
