Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Yashar Update: Playdough!


Yesterday we finally made playdough! I had been wanting to make this with Yashar for a little while but hadn't been able to find food dye or cream of tartar which most of the recipes use. Five supermarkets later I decided to improvise!

I diluted some powder for a flavoured bright red drink and it ended up making a pinkish dough. Now I just have to find some more colours! The recipe I used was:

1. Put 1 cup of flour, half a cup of salt, 4 dessert spoons of oil and a third of a cup of water (mine had the red drink powder in it) in a large bowl and mix (Yashar did the mixing).

2. Knead until it forms a nice dough adding more oil if it is too crumbly.

3. Play time!

Yashar loved it and I am glad I didn't just buy the playdough ready made - making it was definitely half the fun for Yashar (and me!). We were also lucky that there was the perfect play surface already in the house that made clean up easy. It was a big board left here by the owners that's used for rolling out the large pastry sheets used for making desserts like Baklava and savoury 'borek'.

Does anyone have a different recipe? I would love to know what it is.

I feel an emotional post coming on - about being a mother and how much Yashar has grown - but I will leave that for another day when I have time to contemplate it all.

3 comments:

Simple Answer said...

5 supermarkets - I can so relate. Whenever anyone mentions playdough, I can instantly smell it. Does the homemade kind smell any better?

Tanya said...

The basic playcentre (NZ parent run Kindergatrten) recipe I have is
2 c flour
1 c salt
1 c water
1 T cooking oil


Mix the flour, salt, and water in a bowl. Add a small amount of oil to keep the dough from hardening.
Knead the play dough a little, then let the kids take a turn. Store in an airtight container.

Try these edible playdough recipes

Peanut butter playdough for those not allergic to nuts

one jar creamy peanut butter
6 T honey
3/4 c non-fat dry milk

Mix ingredients together, using varying amounts of dry milk for desired consistencies. Knead it with fingers, forming into desired shapes, adding other foods like M&M's or peanuts for eyes, mouths, etc.

When not using, MUST be stored in an airtight container.

Oatmeal playdough/modelling clay
1 part flour
2 parts oatmeal
1 part water

Mix ingredients together and form into shapes.

stuff made from this play dough recipe can be painted when they are dry or you can add a small amount of oil to keep it from drying out too much. Like the peanut butter version it doesnt keep long though.

We used to have a messy table (hard melamine topped table about the average preschool kids waist height )at playcentre too for 'finger painting' but you could use a large plastic sheet or shower curtain laid flat on the floor and secured at the corners.

Cooked finger paint
2 flour
4 cold water
jelly crystals or instant drink sachets (like Kool Aide etc) for colour

Mix flour and water and cook over low heat until thick
Cool
Add a pinch of salt
Add colouring
Store in covered jar in refrigerator

or

2c flour
2 packets unsweented Kool-Aid
1/2 c salt
3 c boiling water
3 T. oil

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until a good consistency for paint.

or

Jell-O Finger Paint

Any kind of flavored Jell-O
hot water

Mix enough hot water, just a little at a time, until mix has the consistency of finger paint. Allow to cool before play.


and a non edible finger paint for when hes old enough NOT to eat it

Soap Paint

Warm water
3 c detergent flakes
colouring (can use food colouring as its non edible)

Add water, a little at a time, to detergent flakes
Mix to consistency of heavy cream
Colour with small amount of food colouring

have fun!!

Anonymous said...

Great fun to find different cooking implements from either the kitchen or the op-shop to use with the playdough. Riley still spends a lot of time trying to sneak pieces into his mouth - yuk!