Play Dough

For some reason I'd forgotten how good it is for Abby to play with Play-Doh. Maybe it is because lately, the "cans" we've bought from the store seem to dry out so easily, or maybe because the last batch we had was bright blue - and I'm still trying to figure out how to get bits of it out of the carpet, whatever it is, I'd forgotten how it can calm her...until today.

Last night, before bed she'd wanted to drag out the Play-Doh, and I knew that we were out of fresh packs, so remembering the recipe that our Kindergarten teacher had emailed me a few years ago when I needed to make some pink play dough for Abby's preschool, I told Abby that we might make some today - and that's what we did.

It was fun, and incredibly simple. The best part was that Abby couldn't get enough of it. She sat for quite some time playing with it, and talking about how "squishy" it was. We packed it up during dinner, but she wanted it out again afterwards. It was then that I noticed a couple of things. First, even though the stuff had been out in the open and played with, it was still so nice and smooth and....well...squishy, that it was still fun for Abby to squeeze. Secondly, I noticed how much calmer she seemed. Abby is so incredibly tactile, and I'm surprised that I'd forgotten how much she needs a bit extra input. By the end of the evening she was asking to go to bed, and there were no fights or battles...and, she fell right to sleep after our stories.

Hmmmm....looks like we'll be pulling out the pink play dough a bit more often....

Abby was so proud of the fact that we made it. She kept
saying, "We made it, together!"

SQUISH!

You can always tell when Abby is concentrating, because
her tongue will pop out - hey, it worked for Michael Jordan.

For those of you who are interested, here is the recipe - it really is great!

Play Dough

1. Stir together 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup salt, and 1 tablespoon alum (or cream of tartar - which is what I used). 
2. Add 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until like thick mashed potatoes.
4. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla (so it smells good) and 6 drops of food coloring.
5. Mix well and form into a ball. If is doesnt' form into a ball well enough, heat it a little bit more.

That's it!