June 2019 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 13
DIY playthings let kids stretch their imaginations
By VIRGINIA JUSTICE
Providing children with
entertaining playthings doesn’t
have to be expensive or
elaborate. Many hours of fun
can come from something as
simple as a cardboard box and
some water-based markers.
The box can become a rocket
ship or whatever your child’s
imagination creates. When
your child loses interest, just
recycle it and start on another.
Perhaps the most popular
do-it-yourself toy is playdough.
It’s easy to make and fun to
play with. Some recipes don’t
require cooking, but I prefer
the traditional version. For
uncooked playdough, you will
need 1 cup flour, ¼ cup salt,
1 tablespoon citric acid (you
can used powdered lemonade
in a pinch), 1 tablespoon cream
of tartar, ½ cup warm water, and
food coloring. In a large bowl, mix
together the flour, salt, and cream
of tartar, then make a well in the
center of the mixture. In a cup, mix
warm water with food coloring,
then slowly pour water into flour
mixture while stirring. Stir until
combined, then knead by hand un-
til the dough is consistent and does
not stick to your skin. Repeat for
each color desired. The citric acid
acts as a preservative and it should
last about a month.
For cooked playdough gather 1
cup flour, 2 teaspoons citric acid
(you can use cream of tartar in a
pinch) 1/3 cup salt, 1 cup water,
1 tablespoon vegetable oil and
food coloring. In a saucepan, blend
together dry ingredients. Over
medium-low heat, add water and
vegetable oil. Add the food coloring
after the other ingredients are well
blended. Continue stirring until the
mixture becomes thick and starts
to clump on the spoon, then move
dough onto a plate to cool. Store
either type of playdough in airtight
container or ziplock bag.
To spice things up, try mixing
mica into the dough (a little goes
a LONG way, so start small). You’ll
find mica online for crafting; start
with an assortment pack before
buying larger quantities. Kids can
form playdough with kitchen items:
forks, butter knives, spoons, garlic
press (makes hair) cookie cutters,
rolling pins, a potato masher or
anything with a pattern.
The internet is a great place to
look for other DIY playthings. Slime
is a favorite with my daughter, Ra-
chel (now 22), using mica to color,
glitter for sparkle, and fragrance
oils to scent her slime. Here’s her
recipe: start with 12 ounces Elmer’s
glue (use clear glue for transparent
slime), ½ teaspoon borax (on the
laundry soap aisle), and 1 cup hot
water. In a measuring cup, dissolve
borax in hot water. Pour glue into a
large mixing bowl, and use a spatu-
la to mix in any extras, like confetti,
glitter, coloring, etc. While stirring
with the spatula, add the water/bo-
rax mixture and blend thoroughly.
Tips from Rachel: If you want
stretchy slime add a tablespoon
of hair conditioner or hand lotion;
for foamy slime add shaving cream
or foaming hand soap. Start with
a tablespoon and add more if you
want your product very foamy. She
uses 1 teaspoon of baby oil to make
a super shiny slime — any more will
make the slime very sticky. These
additives are put into the glue be-
fore adding the borax mixture.
These homemade “toys” can
also provide teaching moments.
“Oobleck” is a great science proj-
ect. This product, made from equal
parts water and cornstarch, is a
non-Newtonian fluid. It appears to
be liquid, but you can pick it
up and hold it in your hands.
Drop it onto a hard surface
and it doesn’t splash, as water
does. It can be colored and
made to glow in the dark.
Oobleck can be a bit messy, so
I highly recommend it for the
bathtub or put down plastic
prior to creating this fun stuff.
Speaking of bath time, bath
paints are easy to make. In
large bowl, mix 2 cups of liquid
soap (dish soap, baby sham-
poo, hand soap) with 1 cup
cornstarch, stir or whisk until
well blended, divide into con-
tainers, and add food coloring.
Small containers with sealable
lids are best for storing bath
paints.
Make bath time even more
fun by crushing vitamin B12, then
dissolving the powder into a small
amount of vinegar. You will need a
black light or UV light bulb for your
bathroom light fixture or lamp.
Add the mix to the bath water for
glow-in-the-dark fun! Vitamin B12
is a water-soluble vitamin so it’s
harmless and other vitamins, such
as thiamine B1, niacin B3, and ribo-
flavin B2, will also glow under black
light.
You don’t need a house full of
toys to entertain children — you
might be surprised at what you
can make with what you already
have on hand. Often homemade
or everyday items are the best toys
because they foster creativity in
children. Tune in next month for
outdoor DIY playthings!
________
Pendleton home economist Virginia
Justice and her husband have two
college-aged daughters.