Bring Life Back to Dry Playdough

My number one frustration about playing with playdough is when my daughter decides she's had enough and just runs off to play with something else ... leaving the playdough on the kitchen table to dry out. Crusty edged playdough, yuk! (Yes, I know you are saying I should teach her to put one toy away before playing with the other, and I am, with 2 toddlers in the house it is a work in progress!)

But, here is a simple way to bring some life back to the neglected playdough.

1. Boil the kettle
2. Hold the playdough in some tongs
3. Cover the playdough in steam (but not too much that it starts dripping)
4. Knead the dough
5. Repeat 2 to 3 times until you've got healthier playdough.

 Some other tips for caring for your playdough:

• Make sure it is stored in an airtight container (or even better, wrap it in cling film and then in an airtight container, or keep it in a zip lock bag)
• Playdough stores better in the fridge.
• If you live in a very dry climate and your playdough dries out quickly, a little extra oil will help make its life a little longer.

If you want to make your own playdough, you can find a homemade playdough recipe here. 

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Birds & Trees (and a free printable!)

What a privaledge to have my first guest blog post published at BrisbaneKids.com.au! This is my modern version of drawing a tree on a piece of paper, and then drawing and cutting out birds to stick on it.

To add a twist, I created a print out tree and some print out birds, and Little Miss and Mr Little have fun flying their birds around the house and back home to the tree (where they stick on with bluetack).  We also had fun decorating the tree with leaves from outside, some sticks, and the birds got their very own craft feathers and glitter. The deocrating and playing was totally up to the imagination of my little ones and it created a whole day of entertainment as our activity evolved.

Would you like to play too?  Here is your free printable!

Best Ages: 

This activity has been tested with a one year old, two year old, three year old and five year old. But it could also be adapted for older ages.

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