Everyday Play

 

When the weather gets bleak and your tots venture outdoors less regularly, it can become quite a task to keep the days interesting without reverting to activities which eat into your purse; playcentres, shopping centres, movies, cafes... I'm talking to y'all! So to spread some thrifty fun, here are a few things we did last week to keep cabin fever at bay.

Snowmen in Australia? It's Possible!

Is there any play material better than playdough? NOPE! Playdough is the BEST!!!
It's easy to whip up, cheap to make, fun to play with and the themes and varieties are endless.

Around Christmas (yes, it has been that long since I was posting), we made a batch of 'snow playdough'. Translation: it was white. You could just leave your playdough uncoloured, but I think that shade of white is quite watery in appearance. So instead, I made a batch of our regular playdough using this recipe, but substituted cornstarch for flour to make the dough whiter.

The girls experimented with rolling the dough into balls, and I showed them how to stack them to make snowmen. Ava preferred hers laying flat on the table.

    

                                           

It was a hit! They thought it was hilarious (no idea why, but laughter's always good!), and once they had made a few snowman bodies, they dipped into the stash of supplies to decorate them.

Playdough Station

Yay for playdough! I have yet to meet a parent who hasn't had some of this stuff stashed away for rainy days. Even though we don't play with it often, my kids tend to be either completely absorbed in playdough or completely disinterested. To try and curb their recent lack of interest, I set up a Playdough Station whilst they were napping/having quiet time. I loved the expressions on their sweet faces when they woke up to see what was waiting for them - pure excitement!

Recipe - Edible Playdough

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk powder
• Food colouring

1. Simply mix the milk powder together with the peanut butter and sugar.
2. Add food colouring as desired.

This is a great one for kids who are just a bit too young to understand that normal playdough is not for eating. At least this way, it's not such a big deal if your tot sneaks some into his mouth.

Recipe - Basic Playdough

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs cooking oil
• 1/2 cup cooking salt
• 1 tbs cream of tartar
• Food colouring

1. Mix flour, water, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan over medium heat until thick.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once completely cooled, add the oil and knead on a floured board.
3. Divide the dough into portions and colour each portion as desired. 

Playing with Playdough

An oldie, but a goodie.
If you choose to make your own playdough, why not involve your child too? Does your tot still think playdough is tasty? Try making edible playdough (see recipe). Is your littlie sick of playdough? Why not mix it up a bit? You could:

• Add glitter or sequins to the dough for a bit of fun.
• Introduce some of your latest loot from your walks - give your child sticks, pebbles, leaves and flowers to play around with. Tip: try rolling the playdough flat and showing your child how to press leaves, etc, into it for some interesting imprints.
• Raid your kitchen drawers for cookie cutters (plastic are best for the kiddies), rolling pins, a garlic press, potato mashers, tea strainers, ice cube trays, muffin tins, patty pans and whatever else you can think of!
• Get some icy-pole sticks or coloured matchsticks and use them to build things with the playdough acting as bluetack - try houses, animals, etc.
• When you're nearly done with the playdough, and ready to throw if away, mould it into shapes and use to do some stamp painting.
• If you're making your own, add a drop or two of food colouring to a portion of uncoloured playdough, but don't knead it through! Give it to your child as is, and watch their faces as they play with the dough and see the colours spread!

I'm sure there are many, many more ideas out there, please share them with us via the comments. Enjoy!