Rainy Day Play

When was the last time you sunk your fingers into some fresh play dough? Try this recipe at home for an afternoon of fun if the springtime rain is keeping you indoors.

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp. food coloring-any color

1 cup water

2 Tblsp. cream of tartar

1 Tblsp. vegetable oil

Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan over medium heat. Add water, oil and food coloring. Stir for 3-5 minutes. It will start out looking like a globby mess, but it will turn into dough-keep stirring! Remove from heat once it looks more like playdough. Then remove from saucepan and knead dough. It will be hot! Refrigerate in a plastic baggie or tupperware container. My kids could never wait for it to cool completely, so they worked with it while still warm-which is great for cold, rainy days.

This recipe is also great for toddlers; it’s completely non-toxic. 
Another great rainy day craft that kids can do on their own is flour art. Again, perfectly safe for toddlers.
Use a shallow baking dish of any size (or use several different sizes). Pour enough flour in the dish to cover the bottom of the pan. Ask your children to find different objects to use in the flour. Try running a car through and see the tracks it leaves. Or cookie cutters. For more colorful fun, break out some sprinkles to add finishing touches to their art. Take pictures and hang them for the kids to see what creations they came up with!