Fun Recipes for Kids

I have lots and lots of recipes.  Many of them have been torn out of a magazine or newspaper.  Others are handwritten on scraps of paper or recipe cards.  Thankfully, I have them all sorted by type like Vegetables, Beef, Canning, etc.  While I was looking for a recipe for a potato dish, I came across a file entitled "Recipes for Kids".

As I browsed the recipes, happy memories of being in the kitchen with my kids came flooding back.  These pages are so old - they were type written with an old typewriter I had from college.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures to share showing the creation process but I did want to pass along these great recipes.  Share them with you kids and grandkids, nieces and nephews!

Glarch (Silly Putty)
2 parts white glue
1 part StaFlo liquid starch
food coloring

Mix well glue and starch.  It needs to dry a bit before it's workable.  Store in a tight container.  NOTE:  Add food coloring to starch before mixing with glue.

Play Dough ala Peanut Butter
1 jar peanut butter (18 oz. or larger)
6 Tablespoons honey
nonfat dry milk or milk plus flour to right consistency

Shape.  Decorate.  It's also edible!

Colored Sand
sifted sand
small lidded jars
food coloring

Shake sand and food coloring in jars.  Leave open or spread on wax paper to dry.  Punch holes in lid of jars and shake over paper on which glue has been painted (with finger or brush).  Pour off excess.

Soap Foam
soap chips
food coloring or tempra paint

Beat with electric or hand mixer until stiff.  Apply to cardboard or heavy paper with popsicle stick or finger.

Edible Play Dough
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 cup powdered milk

Mix peanut butter, corn syrup, powdered sugar and powdered milk together until they are of molding consistency.  Let the kids create yummy sculptures, then dig in and gobble them up.

Salt Beads
2 parts salt
1 part flour

May be colored as play dough.  Form into balls, squares any shape.  Put on wax paper and put toothpicks through each piece to hold the hole for stringing when dry.

Textured Modeling Clay
2 parts sawdust
1 part wheat paste (wall paper paste)

Add water until mixture will model.  My be painted with tempera when dry.

Cornstarch Clay
1 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cup water
2 cups baking soda

Cook and stir over medium heat until thick.  Cool and knead on wax paper.  Clay may be rolled and cut into shapes with cookie cutters or modeled and painted.

Goop Dough
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups salt
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup water

Mix salt and 2/3 cup water in small pan and heat over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Mix cornstarch and 1/2 cup water.  Blend well.  Add cornstarch mixture quickly to the hot salt mixture, stirring constantly.  This mixture should form a stiff dough.  If not, return to heat.  Stir constantly.  Mixture may be colored.  Store in airtight container when not in use.

Volcano
Mold clay around glass place on a dish to resemble a volcano.  Put into the glass 3 Tablespoons baking soda.  Mix together:
2 1/3 cups vinegar
2 1/3 cups water
food coloring
Pour this over the soda in the glass and watch the volcano erupt!

Fingerpaint
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup cold water
2 Tablespoons tempra paint

Mix in a jar vigorously.  Put into saucepan and add another cup of cold water and cloves.  Cook until it comes to a boil and clear.  Add 1 teaspoon powdered alum.  Cool - remove cloves.  Keep in sealed jars.

Dough Ornaments
1 cup salt
2 cups flour
1 cup water

Blend in a bowl, adding water a little at a time.  Knead dough 7 to 10 minutes until firm.  Cut designs with cookie cutter.  Use nail to make a hole at the top of each ornament for thread.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  When cool, varnish to protect from moisture.  Draw a design with white glue and sprinkle on glitter or paint any color you like.

Play Dough
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 Tablespoon alum
3/4 cup boiling water

Add food coloring to water.  Mix all ingredients together.

Structures
50-60 plastic drinking straws
standard size box of paper clips

Open several paper clips.  Widen the small end a little.  Fit each end of the paper clip into the end of a straw.  Bend the clip to change the angle.  Put more than one clip into a straw to attach several straws together.  Keep adding clips and straws to make buildings, bridges, boats, cars, spaceships and other structures.

Kaleidoscope
1 cardboard tube from inside a roll of paper towels
3 mirrors, each 1 1/4" by 9 1/2", available at any glass store (or Michael's); have edges finished
small sheet of cardboard
waxed paper
masking tape
scissors
buttons, paper clips, dry beans, glitter, sequins and other small, colorful objects

Lay the 3 mirrors side by side (close but not touching) on a table, mirror sides down.  Tape their edges together.  Fold them into a triangle with the mirrored sides facing in, and tape the third side.  Cut 1 1/2" off the cardboard tube.  Save the small section for later.  Stand the tube on the sheet of cardboard and trace around it with a pencil.  Cut out the circle you traces.  Us the point of the scissors to punch a hole in teh center of the tube.  Slide the mirror triangle into the tube.  It should fit exactly.  Cut two circles of waxed paper slightly larger than the diameter of the tube.  Stretch one tautly over the open end and tape it on securely.  Tape the small section of the tube.  They should just cover the waxed paper surface if you hold the tube upright.  Cover the open end of the tube with the second waxed paper circle and tape it securely in place.  Decorate the outside of the tube.  Hold the kaleidoscope to your eye and look directly at a bright light.  Turn it to change the patterns.

I'm keeping these recipes out.  Who knows?  My 16 year old may decide he'd like to give his girlfriend a necklace made out of salt beads that he made and painted!!!

"Creativity is an area in which younger people have a tremendous advantage, since they have an endearing habit of always questioning past wisdom and authority."  -Bill Hewlett