Homemade Slime aka GAK

Homemade Slime aka GAK

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon borax powder

1 1/2 C water, divided

4 oz (1/2 C)  Elmer's glue, clear or white

food coloring

Directions:

Add borax powder to 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve.  Set aside.  Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 C water. Add a few drops of food coloring until desired color is reached and then stir to mix glue solution until smooth.  Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch the solids start to form.  Stir for a few moments and then use your hands to gather the mass.  The mixture will be very soft and wet.  Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry.  Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the slime the firmer it will become.  Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container and the slime will keep indefinitely.

*Note that this is not a recipe for human consumption.  It is for play purposes only.  Make sure to supervise young children.

Salt Dough

Salt Dough

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 TB oil
food coloring

Directions:

Combine all together and knead. Add enough water to give clay like consistency.

Puffy Paint

Puffy Paint

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon self-raising flour
a few little drops of food coloring
1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

Combine the ingredients in a little bowl.

Then add some water to make a nice smooth paste.
Paint away on a nice thick sheet of cardboard (if you don't have enough paint brushes use cotton buds - they work really well).

Microwave the design on high for 10 - 30 seconds until the paint puffs and it's all nice and dry.  We did ours for 30 seconds.

Doggy Milk Bones

Doggy Milk Bones

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
1 beef bouillon cube, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water
1 TB brown sugar

Directions:

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Knead dough for 2 minutes. On a floured surface, roll dough 1/4" thick. Uas cookie cutter to cut out. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes on ungreased baking sheet. Let cool.

Puffy Paint

Puffy Paint

Ingredients:

Flour
Salt
Water
Tempera paint

Directions:

Mix equal amounts of flour, salt and water. Add liquid Tempera paint for color. Pour mixture into squeeze bottles and paint. Mixture will harden in a puffy shape.


Shaving Cream Puffy Paint

Ingredients:

1 cup shaving cream
1 cup glue
Tempura paint

Directions:

Mix equal parts shaving cream and glue together. Add Tempura paint for color. Use popsicle sticks, cotton swabs, and q-tips to paint.

Soap Crayons

Soap Crayons

Ingredients:

2 TB hot water
Food coloring or Wonder Colors
Ivory Flakes

Directions:

Pour water into a 1-cup measuring cup. Fill the rest of the cup to the top with Ivory Flakes. With a spoon mix the water and soap flakes together until mixture becomes a thick soapy paste without any big lumps. Add about 30 or 40 drops of food coloring to the soap mixture and stir well until the soap has color. Scoop out some of the mixture and put it in one of the cube spaces of an ice cube tray or any other mold you would like to use. Press the soap paste down into the cube until it is filled to the top. Fill 1 or 2 more cubes with the remaining soap mixture. Dry cubes in a warm, dry place for 1 or 2 days until the soap paste gets hard (test by pressing with your finger).

Pop the soap crayons out of the tray. Some colors will work better than others. Soap crayons are made from pure soap and food coloring, so whatever is drawn with them can be wiped off bathtubs, sinks, floors, windows, hands and faces.

Crayons

Crayons

Ingredients:

old crayons
molds*

*Mold ideas are muffin tins, cookie cutters, ice cube trays, candy molds, plastic eggs, etc.

Directions:

Use pieces of old crayons. Remove paper. Place foil liners in muffin tins (small or large are fine). Put in 5 to 8 crayon pieces. You can either use the same color or different ones as it makes swirls! Bake at 200 to 225 degree for about 5 minutes until crayons are just melted. Watch often. Remove foil and let cool.


Cookie Cutter Crayons

Ingredients:

old crayons
Assorted cookie cutters or candy molds
Old saucepan or tin can for melting crayons
Aluminum foil

Directions:

Take the paper off the crayons and put them in an old saucepan or put the crayons in an empty tin can and place the can in a saucepan filled with water. Melt the wax by turning the stove on low heat. Place the cookie cutters on a sheet of aluminum foil. Pour the melted wax into assorted cookie cutters. You may need to hold the cookie cutters down to keep the melted crayons from running out. Wait for the wax to set, then cool, and pop your brand new crayons out.

Sidewalk Chalk & Outdoor Paint

Sidewalk Chalk

Ingredients:

1 cup plaster of Paris
1 cup water
Powdered tempera paint
Molds for chalk*

*Molds can vary from paper towel rolls (cut to desired length and covered on one end with plastic wrap, foil, duct tape or something similar), muffin or cupcake pans, dixie cups, cookie cutters, small sand molds, soap molds, ice cube trays film canisters, clean prescription pill bottles, deodorant lids greased w/ butter or popsicle molds. Line tubular molds such as popsicle containers with waxed paper before filling and the dried chalk should slide out easily.

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the water and plaster of Paris together. Add the powdered tempera paint to the mixture. Once the paint has been mixed in well, set it aside for a few minutes. Pack your mixture into the empty toilet paper tube, or mold. Let set for 24 hours. Peel off cardboard or remove from mold. This can take anywhere from several hours to a day (or maybe longer), depending on the size of the mold. Remember: The bigger the mold, the longer it will take to dry. Once the mold is dry, remove the chalk. If the chalk is still moist, let it air dry for another 24 hours.

Variations:
Scented: add essential oils
Glittery: add glitter


Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Ingredients:

2 TB of cornstarch
2 TB of water
5 drops of food coloring.

Directions:

Add the cornstarch and THEN the water so it mixes up a little easier.

Double recipe: 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 cup water, 10 drops food coloring.


Outdoor Watercolor Paints:

Ingredients:

watercolor paint trays
plastic spray bottles
water

Simply pop the paint out of the tray and place it into the filled water bottle. Shake it until the color mixes into the water. Your kids can "paint" a wall, fence or large piece of paper taped to a fence by spraying it. The watercolor paints wash off easily with water.

Finger Paint

Finger Paint:

2 TBS flour
3 TBS water

Mix into a smooth paste. Add powdered tempura paint, powdered fruit drink, powdered flavored gelatin, or food coloring.


Scratch and Sniff Paint:

Mix flavored gelatin or Kool-aid package into half the water suggested in the package directions. Paint with the scented mixture and allow to dry. You will have a scratch and sniff painting

Yogurt Based Paint:

Plain yogurt and food coloring. Mix as desired.

Bubbles

Bubbles:

3 cups water
1/2 karo syrup
2 cups liquid joy

Colored bubbles:
add powdered tempura paint!

Scented bubbles:
try adding lemon or lime juice, peppermint extract, almond extract, shampoo, scented dish soap

Ideas for homemade bubble wands:

unused fly swatter, empty berry baskets cut into shapes, pipe cleaners bent into shapes, wire hangers, margarine lid with shape cut out of center, metal cookie cutters, straws, funnels, plastic rings from soda pop cans

Playdough

Play Dough
This play dough recipe is probably the closest to store bought play dough.

For each color of dough you will need:
1 Cup flour
1/2 Cup salt
2 Teaspoons cream of tartar
1 Cup water
1 Teaspoon liquid food coloring
2 Teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions:
Combine first three ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. With pan over medium heat, gradually stir in the water. Continue to stir and add the last two ingredients. Stir continually until mixture forms a sticky ball. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 1/2 hour.

Scented Play Dough:

For each scent of playdough, you will need:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 TBS cream of tartar
1 package unsweetened drink mix
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 cup water

Directions:
Mix first four ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan. Gradually stir in water and oil, and heat over medium heat for about five minutes, stirring continually. When mixture forms a ball in pot, remove from heat and knead until smooth. Store in airtight container.

Ornament Making Playdough:
This play dough can be air-dried and painted, making it an excellent choice for Christmas ornaments, Mother's Day gifts, and such.

For this uncolored play dough you will need:
2 Cups salt
1 1/3 Cups water
1 Cup cornstarch

Directions:
Mix salt and ½ of the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch with the remaining water, being certain to mix it well. Once the mixture in the pan is boiling, remove from heat and add the cornstarch mixture. Knead into play dough. After creating ornaments, let dry overnight. (remember to poke a hole into it while its soft for the hanger!)

No-Cooking Playdough:
The last play dough recipe requires no cooking.

For each color of dough, you will need:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 ½ cup water
Liquid food coloring

Directions:
Combine flour and salt. Slowly add water while stirring. Add a few drops of food coloring and knead dough. Store in airtight container.