3 Recipes for Fun: Friday Find for Parents & Grandparents

Not all great recipes are for fattening desserts. Some are just for tons of fun. 3 recipes for play time plus 1 great book! Update: Oops! I forgot to include the book of fun recipes. Check the end of the post AGAIN! Sorry, guess I shouldn’t be writing this at 1 a.m.

A Great Colorful Time for All

Finger painting is a great way to stimulate your child’s creativity. Plus anything done with your fingers makes it even more enticing! Here’s a great recipe for finger paint from Martha Stewart. Can’t you just see her elbow deep in purple finger paint. What a hoot! Homemade Finger Paints Nontoxic, washable and always available Stir 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 cup cornstarch together; add 2 cups of cold water, and heat over medium heat until the mixture is thick (the mixture will further thicken as it cools). Divide into four or more containers, and add food coloring as desired.

You can use the liquid food coloring found at the grocery store or you’ll find a wider range of colors in the cake decorating section of your local craft store.

Squeeze, Mash, Push, Pull

Like the funky smelling stuff in the cans, this recipe can be colored neon, pastel or primary tones. Reds are hard to achieve with food coloring so don’t fret that you can’t get it right. Play-Dough

1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 c. water
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. food coloring

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar in a large saucepan. Gradually stir in 1 cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon food coloring. Cook over medium to high heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms. Remove from heat, cool and knead until smooth on wax paper. Store in an airtight container. Children will enjoy playing with your homemade version of the classic Play-Doh®.

The addition of cream of tartar (found in the baking section of your grocery store) makes the play-dough last longer.

Warning – You will Get Slimed

My 30-something son loved to watch Nickelodeon and Green Slime was the best! This is best used outside in play clothes as food coloring will stain! Green Slime (like the gooey stuff featured on Nickelodeon TV)

1 cup glue (be sure to use water soluble glue)
water
green food coloring (the neon stuff works great!)
4 teaspoons borax*

You will need two mixing bowls. In the first bowl, mix together 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup of glue and a few drops of food coloring. In the second bowl, mix together 4 teaspoons borax with 1 1/3 cups warm water. Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second bowl but DON'T STIR. Let the mixture sit for about 1 minute or until it congeals. Then lift mixture out of the bowl. Now you have slime! Store in plastic bags to keep it from getting hard. * You’ll find borax in the laundry detergent aisle. Look for the 20 Mule Team logo.

If you want your "slime" to be more slimy just a add a little more glue, and if your slime is too sticky add a little more borax and play with it until you get the consistency you'd like. It will change as it it kneaded and played with.