Recipes For Play Helps Kids Create a Beautiful Mess

Because this slime recipe uses only natural ingredients, it is unlikely to cause any skin irritations, but it is likely to have your child thinking, "I wonder what would happen if I put my whole body into the slime." The results are brilliant, but the cleanup is more than a quick wipe with a sponge. Be prepared for this to turn into a full-body experience. At the very least, have a clean towel ready — you will need it when they're done.

Materials

• Large bowl
• Whisk
• Tray
• Food coloring
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups cornstarch
• Dishwashing liquid

Instructions

1. Mix the food coloring and the warm water in a bowl.
2. Slowly add the cornstarch, mixing and blending as you go. If it's too runny, add more cornstarch; if it's too firm, add more water. If you want the mixture to be a little more slippery, then add a little squirt of dishwashing liquid. You should be left with a substance that looks like a liquid but is firm to the touch.
3. Turn out your blob onto the tray, and let them at it. Drive toy cars through it, submerge animal figurines in it, mix it with sticks, or attack it with cooking utensils.

There can be more to balloons than just air. Filling them with different textures and tying them off leaves you with interesting malleable toys. Make pairs with the same fillings and ask the kids to match textures, or draw faces on the balloons with a marker and enjoy the change of expression with each squish.

Materials

• Balloons
• A funnel
• Various dry goods, like beans, rice, or sand

Instructions

1. Stretch the mouth of each balloon over your funnel and slowly feed the dry goods inside. If you're using flour, beware of squeezing, as the flour is likely to leap right back out of the funnel and into your face, which can be amusing but also frustrating.
2. Tie off the end, slowly squeezing the air out before knotting the balloon.