Playdough

Who doesn't love playdough?  It's just plain fun - plus the rolling, kneading, shaping, and sculpting are great for cognitive development, motor skills, and artistic and creative growth.
You won't believe how easy it is to make playdough at home!

Notes

The salt in the dough keeps it from rotting.  The cream of tartar also acts as a preservative as well as giving the dough its smooth, elastic texture.  This dough will last for at least a week if you keep it wrapped up when not in use.

Time Needed

About 10 minutes

Supplies Needed

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup table salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

2 cups cold water (warm/hot will cause lumps)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

A few drops of food coloring (optional)

Several drops of essential oils (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, whisk together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar.  
2. Add the water, vegetable oil, and food coloring to the pan.  Whisk until smooth.
3. Place the pan over medium heat.  Stir continuously with a silicon spatula or wooden spoon.  The mixture will start coagulating into lumps at first.  Take care to keep scraping the bottom so it does not scorch.  Keep stirring until the mixture just begins to stick together.  Do not overcook or the dough will be dry.
4. Transfer the dough to a clean countertop or piece of parchment paper.  When it is cool enough to touch, knead the dough until it is smooth.
5. If using essential oils, knead it in at this point.  
6. Now the dough is ready to enjoy!  When done playing, wrap tightly in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Flubber

There are recipes for this all over the web.  Why?  Cause it's just so fun to play with  - plus it's cheap, quick, and easy to make!  It's perfect for kid parties and rainy weekends, a fun summer vacation activity, even as an interesting science lesson.
I tried several variations and the one below is what worked best (find the original at Live Craft Eat).

Notes

Borax is an all natural mineral.  The tiny amount used here is considered totally safe.  That said, neither the Borax, glue, nor glitter is edible.  Make sure kids play with the flubber, but don't eat it!  It's also a good idea to wash hands afterward.

What Is It

Flubber is a polymer formed by a chemical reaction between the Borax and the glue.  Read more at OMSI.edu.

Time Needed

5 minutes

Supplies Needed

Water

4 oz Elmer's School Glue

1/2 tsp Borax powder

1-2 drops food coloring

Instructions

1. Pour 1/4 cup hot water into a small bowl.  Add the Borax and stir to dissolve.
2. Pour 3/8 cup cold water into a medium bowl.  Add the glue and food coloring.  Mix until smooth.
3. Pour the Borax mixture into the glue mixture.  Stir.  The flubber will begin to coagulate immediately.  Cool!  
   
4. When the mixture has formed a ball, pour any excess water off.
5. Enjoy!  Form it into little balls - they will bounce.  Let it drape over your hand - it will melt down like slime.  Play with it - it feels cool and weird and awesome!  

*You might notice some glitter in the photos - we kneaded 2 tsp into the flubber after Step 4.  The glitter actually shows up a lot better when you use Clear Glue, but I find the clear to not make as nice a finished product.