Bitter Ashes
20th December 2010, 14:56
There's a red star on the Christmas Tree. la la la la.
Yes, it's Christmas and we're being told to spend spend spend! I'm pretty sure everyone dislikes giving over what little crumbs our bosses give us, back to them, so here's an alternative for the kids. DIY playdough.
Really easy to make and it's a bit better than the commerical stuff too if you ask me. It is non-toxic too and comes out of the rug with minimul effort, which is always handy when you're giving something to kids. What's really shocking is how easy it is to make and that you've probably got everything sat in the kitchen anyway all ready to go.
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Ingrediants:
- 1 cup of plain (non-self raising) flour
- 1 cup of water
- 0.5 cups of table salt
- 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- (optional) colourings, which can be either be artifical stuff you get off the shelves, or spinch, beetroot, or carrot juice for gree, pink and orange respectivly. You always knew that there was a reason you grew beetroots on the plot now, didn't you? :P
- Greasproof paper
- some containers with lids
Recipe
1) Mix together the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large pan
2) Slowly start adding the water, while stirring and then put on a medium heat on the hob.
3) Keep stirring until it gets to a nice smooth consitancy. Then add your oil and you can add the colourings now if you like, but I prefer to leave it to later.
4) Get stirring again and when it shows the first signs of getting stiff, get it out and put it onto a piece of greased paper and knead it until it's like... well, playdough. I usualy split it into three pieces add the colouring while I'm kneading so I can get multiple colours from one batch.
5) It's done! Just whack it into an airtight container and it'll keep in the fridge and it'll be just fine. Wrapping it up in selophane helps too.
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To get the most life out of it you should add about a tablespoon of water to the container each time you put it back. It it gets really dry you can just knead more water into it. I found that those little containers you get from Chinese takeaways, or sealie bags are ideal for storing the playdough. In a pinch you couuld just roll it into balls and put it selophane.
If it does get into the carpet then don't panic. Either just leave it until it dries and run the vaccum over it, or scrub it a bit with some warm soapy water. It'll come right out. I promise. A mat, idealy vinyl, for them to play with it on may be an easier solution. The Twister board just got a new use.
You can also see all the ingrediants at the top and know with confidence that the kids can shovel as much of it in thier mouths as they like and the worst that'll happen is that they may make a bad smell and pee beetroot colours. And when the inevitable happens and they end up mixing all the colours together into a sludge you can either just redye it or make up a new batch.
See? You don't have to be anti-consumerist and a grinch afterall! :P Merry Christmas :)
Yes, it's Christmas and we're being told to spend spend spend! I'm pretty sure everyone dislikes giving over what little crumbs our bosses give us, back to them, so here's an alternative for the kids. DIY playdough.
Really easy to make and it's a bit better than the commerical stuff too if you ask me. It is non-toxic too and comes out of the rug with minimul effort, which is always handy when you're giving something to kids. What's really shocking is how easy it is to make and that you've probably got everything sat in the kitchen anyway all ready to go.
================================================== ==============================================
Ingrediants:
- 1 cup of plain (non-self raising) flour
- 1 cup of water
- 0.5 cups of table salt
- 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- (optional) colourings, which can be either be artifical stuff you get off the shelves, or spinch, beetroot, or carrot juice for gree, pink and orange respectivly. You always knew that there was a reason you grew beetroots on the plot now, didn't you? :P
- Greasproof paper
- some containers with lids
Recipe
1) Mix together the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large pan
2) Slowly start adding the water, while stirring and then put on a medium heat on the hob.
3) Keep stirring until it gets to a nice smooth consitancy. Then add your oil and you can add the colourings now if you like, but I prefer to leave it to later.
4) Get stirring again and when it shows the first signs of getting stiff, get it out and put it onto a piece of greased paper and knead it until it's like... well, playdough. I usualy split it into three pieces add the colouring while I'm kneading so I can get multiple colours from one batch.
5) It's done! Just whack it into an airtight container and it'll keep in the fridge and it'll be just fine. Wrapping it up in selophane helps too.
================================================== ==============================================
To get the most life out of it you should add about a tablespoon of water to the container each time you put it back. It it gets really dry you can just knead more water into it. I found that those little containers you get from Chinese takeaways, or sealie bags are ideal for storing the playdough. In a pinch you couuld just roll it into balls and put it selophane.
If it does get into the carpet then don't panic. Either just leave it until it dries and run the vaccum over it, or scrub it a bit with some warm soapy water. It'll come right out. I promise. A mat, idealy vinyl, for them to play with it on may be an easier solution. The Twister board just got a new use.
You can also see all the ingrediants at the top and know with confidence that the kids can shovel as much of it in thier mouths as they like and the worst that'll happen is that they may make a bad smell and pee beetroot colours. And when the inevitable happens and they end up mixing all the colours together into a sludge you can either just redye it or make up a new batch.
See? You don't have to be anti-consumerist and a grinch afterall! :P Merry Christmas :)