THIS SITE is written by the biggest kid I know (ME!)

NEW: Flubber

Flubber can be stretched. You can write on it with a magic marker. You can make shapes out of it with cookie cutters or stencils. It's a GREAT way to keep kids occupied! 11/2 cups water with food coloring 1 cup warm water divided into thirds 2 cups Elmer's® Glue 3 teaspoons Borax® In large bowl combine 2 cups glue and 1 1/2 cups water. Into 3 separate cups, mix 1/3 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon Borax®. Stir until dissolved. Add one of the small cups containing water/Borax® solution into the large bowl of glue/water solution. There will be an immediate reaction. Quickly gather up the resulting "goop". Remove it and knead it. When you set it down, there will be a little liquid around it. Additional kneading makes it more workable. Add the second cup of water/Borax® solution and repeat the procedure above. Add the third cup of solution and repeat. There may be some remaining mixture after you remove the amount of Flubber. Just discard it. Store Flubber in an airtight container or a zip lock bag. It should last at least 2 weeks.

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PLAYDOH

(Kool-Aid Playdoh)

THIS IS NOT FOOD!

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1 1/2 tsp. oil

1 pkg. unsweetened kool-aid

1 cup boiling water

Mix and have fun! Will keep for weeks in covered container.

Not necessary to refrigerate. Can be stored in small freezer

bags. I double this recipe. It makes 4 small bags.

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KOOL-AID® PLAY DOUGH

Great for kids of all ages

(This is not food!!!)

1/2 cup salt

2 cups water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons alum

1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid®,

any color/flavor desired

Boil salt in water until salt is dissolved. Add Kool-Aid®, vegetable

oil, flour and alum. Knead or process until smooth. Keeps for two months or longer.

Another dough recipe:

1 box baking soda

1 cup cornstarch

Combine these in a saucepan.

Add 1 1/4 cups water.

Stir constantly over medium heat. It will suddenly start to

thicken; when it looks like wet mashed potatoes (with a slight glisten), dump

onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth 'til cool

Knead until smooth. Store in plastic in the fridge. Keeps

pretty well, a week or so. Just reknead each time as the cold makes it

stiff.  Dry the shaped objects overnight or longer, depending on how

thick they are, and then bake in a 250-degree over for 15 minutes. If not hard,

bake a little longer. The dough can be tinted with food coloring as you're making it,

or you can tint small chunks of it. The colors will be rather pastel. I had

my students paint the baked items with Jazz Gloss tempera. They came

out great.

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Bath Crayons

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Here's a great way to get your little monsters into the tub AFTER

they have played with gunk.

What you need:

One cup grated Ivory soap (it floats!)

1/4 cup warm water

Food coloring

ice cube tray

What you do:

Mix water, soap and food coloring together in a bowl. Stir until

it become very thick. Put onto a table and knead until it is

dough-like. Press into an old ice cube tray and let harden

overnight. Pop out the bath crayons. Kids can write on the tile

walls, tub or tile floors. You can mix different colors for your

squeaky clean little artists. These crayons also double as soap!

(Makes a great homemade gift or party favor!)

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Giant Bubble Solution

Here's an easy, inexpensive way to delight a group of

children. In fact, making giant bubbles would be a great

activity for a summer family reunion! Here's Rodale's

recipe from the "Rodale's Book of Practical Formulas":

1/2 cup Dawn or Joy liquid dishwashing detergent

4 1/2 cups water

3-4 tablespoons glycerin (glycerin is nontoxic and

available in drug stores)

Combine ingredients in a plastic container and gently mix

the solution. Cut lengths of string or yarn (up to 36") and

knot ends to form a circle. Soak the loop in the bubble

solution for a moment, then remove. Separate the loop, lift

it in the air or begin to move backward. As you move, giant

bubbles form.

Note: According to Rodale, the mixture may be temporarily

harmful to grass, so use it on pavement or gravel.

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Bubble Bath Jelly Jar

Supplies:

1 packet Unflavored Gelatin

3/4 cup Water

1/2 cup Clear Liquid Soap or Bubble Bath

Fragrance Oils - as desired

Food Coloring - optional

Small objects (silk flowers, toys, small figures, etc.)

1/8 sheet Cardstock weight Paper

Ribbon, Yarn or Raffia (for bow to tie label on jar)

Clear container with lid, such as a small glass canning jar

Instructions:

Empty the packet of gelatin into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Heat water in a saucepan, until just boiling. Immediately remove water from

heat source. Carefully pour the hot water into the large mixing bowl and

gently mix with gelatin powder. Allow gelatin to completely dissolve. Be

patient! This may take a few minutes.

Slowly and gently stir in the liquid soap to the gelatin mixture. Add a drop

of food coloring and 5-8 drops of fragrance oil. Be careful not to beat

mixture or bath jelly will become foamy.

Pour mixture into a clean, clear container. Place your chosen small object

inside container, nesting it inside jelly.

Refrigerate Bubble Jelly until set (about 4 hours). As the jelly sets, come

up with a name for your creation. Then using your cardstock paper and

ribbon, make a label for the jar. Attach label to bath jelly jar by punching

a hole in one corner of the label. Thread ribbon, cut long enough to tie

around the jar, through hole on label. Tie around the jar! (You can also

decorate your jar with additional small items or dried flowers, as desired.)

To use: Scoop a small amount of jelly (1 - 2 Tbsp.) into your hand and hold

under warm running water for a bubbly bath treat!

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Gingerbread house:

-use a Tropicana, or similar style container

-frost with white icing

-decorate doors and windows with graham crackers

-use smarties, m&m's, gumdrops and other goodies to decorate

-marshmallows for chimneys-candy canes for added decoration

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Manger Scene:

The manger scene can be made out of toilet paper rolls decorated with

fabric for the wise men, shepherds, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. A shoe box

turned on it's side filled with some straw makes a great stable. Add a star

and angel, some animals and there you have it. Elastic bands work great for

holding the fabric in place. Yarn works for the hair and beards.

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Smelly Lights:

A wonderful woman in our church gave me this medium size glass bowel

(it is almost like a single fish bowel) filled with potpourri and then she

also added a string of white lights that I plug in. When I turn the

lights on it warms the potpourri up and the smell floats through the

house. No water to simmer. Just a nice smell and I change the stuff

whenever I feel like it and seasonal. It is really nice. Oh yeah, and

over the top of the bowel she put a piece of lace which the cord just is

under and then it is tied with a ribbon.....