Edible Playdough

I think playdough is a great creative toy for kids!! They can make balls, snakes, food, people, snowmen...anything!! But...who here hasn't played with playdough with a child and not have them sneak a bite or two?? True...most playdough is non-toxic...but it's salty...and if they eat too much they could get sick. I searched the internet for hours trying to find edible playdough that was peanut-free and easy to make. I found this recipe:

1/3 cup margarine

1/3 cup corn syrup

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb powdered sugar

-mix until smooth. add food coloring. play :)

When I made this for D I did not have enough powdered sugar so I added some oatmeal. It was still pretty sticky but he had fun playing with it. He was just under a year old...he ate a bit but was more interested in how it felt and the stickiness. I am a curious kitty and I had to try a little for myself. It was delicious!!

When D was done playing I wrapped it in cling wrap and kept it in the fridge. I threw it out after the second time playing...but not because it went bad...just because it had fingers in it and had been licked and stuff so it was kinda gross LOL.

Spaghetti Worms!

When I worked in the 2 year old room at the daycare, we made spaghetti worms for the kids to play with. They LOVED it!! Basically to make these, I over-boiled spaghetti noodles until they were super soft. After draining, I used food coloring to make a wormy color and mixed it with the noodles. When they cooled, I put some on D's highchair tray and added a bit of water to make them slimy. He LOVED it! He squished the "worms" in his fingers and then started dumping them on his head. The best part? They are edible so it wasn't a fight to stop him from eating the worms LOL.

D was just under a year when I gave him the worms to play with. I probably could have given him the worms sooner, but I wanted him to play with them more than eat them :)

Pudding Painting!!

One of my favorite things to use in crafts is food!! Not only can kids be creative, but they can taste their art too. It's fun and messy and delicious!

I first had D paint with pudding when he was 11 months old...I don't know why he used actual paint before I gave him pudding paint...but oh well.

In this picture he was using butterscotch pudding, but other times I gave him vanilla pudding, separated, and put in a few drops of food coloring to make different colors. The best paper to use for pudding painting is the white glossy stuff, because otherwise the pudding leaks through the page, but if all you have is plain ol' paper don't let that stop you!! :)

Other "edible" paints you can use is sweetened condensed milk, applesauce, or jello (just add half the water...it gets goopy and sticky)

Well Hello There!

Hey!!

So, the truth is, I watched Julie and Julia...and it made me want to start a blog. I considered being a copycat and making a cooking blog...but honestly I really don't enjoy cooking all that much...and I especially don't like cooking things that could easily end in disaster...so I started thinking about things that I enjoy doing that might be interesting to other people...and I came up with crafts. I LOVE doing crafts with kids...my son is now 17 months old and I have been doing arts and crafts with him since he was about 10 months old.

Honestly...I am a firm believer that you should just sit a kid down with a whole whack of fun stuff and let them go to town and get their creative juices flowing...however...D is only 17 months...so his crafts are a little more structured...but I still let him go to town for the most part. I just have to do the cutting and gluing for him LOL. One of my biggest peeves, though, is people who make displays and have the kids make a carbon copy of a craft. Kids need to be encouraged to be creative and use their imaginations...it helps to build their self-esteem.

D's art is displayed all over the house. Sometimes we walk around to each picture and I tell him what an awesome piece of artwork it is...and honestly...you should see his little face light up! He may be young...but he's as proud of his art as I am :)

**Picture of D's first painting when he was 10 months old :)**