Fresh Playdough and More Snowmen
There is nothing like kneading a fresh batch of playdough.
This afternoon we made a nice, warm batch of white playdough with white glitter, to be snow. Now, it seems that every time I mention we make playdough, someone asks what recipe we use. I have several recipes that I like, but the recipe I make most often is the one I can remember. Doesn’t it usually work that way?
I call it “2-Easy” playdough, because you boil 2 c. water with 1/2 c. salt, remove from heat and add 2 T. alum (or cream of tartar), 2 T. oil and 2 C. flour. It’s all the 2s that make it easy to remember. It’s a little saltier and more prone to lumpiness than some of my recipes, but quite fine for a regular afternoon’s play.
I like to wait and make “snow” playdough after the holidays, when the kids want something special after the celebrations have faded. And to us, the snow playdough is very special, mostly because we have these lovely Sculpey bits to use with it.
I think it was three years ago that PisecoSis made us these, and most of the year they’re kept tucked away in a tiny box. In January, we pull out the hats, twig arms, carrot noses and tiny clay coal lumps.
When I set a kneaded lump in front of BabyGirl, she immediately started chanting SQUISH, SQUISH, SQUISH! She was very pleased just to smush the dough, but when JediBoy started building snowmen, she wanted in on that action. She spent most of her time switching between the four hats and telling me they were pretty, but she also added eyes. On the top of the head. And covered them with hats. It was fun.
JediBoy made lots and lots of different snowmen and even a very long albino rattlesnake. But his favorite creation was the giant cyclops snowman.
It was a nice way to spend the afternoon! Want to share your favorite playdough recipes with me?
January 5th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
That is an awesome idea to have the parts pre-made from baked Sculpey!
January 5th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Thanks so much for giving me the recipe this afternoon. I am making some tomorrow after we get back from a trip to Bainbridge to take care of some rabbit meat processing. It will be so great in combination with the THINK! challenge.
I love the Cyclops, too!!!
January 5th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
That doesn’t even look like JediBoy. You’ve replaced him with a much older and more mature (but still totally goofy) looking gentleman. Are you keeping the real JediBoy in my basement?
Your photos are getting better and better. That camera is becoming quite the tool.
~L
January 6th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
i still have lots of sculpey, Ethan would be great at making snowman accessories for our family. I’m hoping for a snowday tomorrow and this would be something fun.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I am SO stealing your ideas here!
January 11th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
[...] are some things I made with Sculpey for making playdough snowmen. I just want to tell my friend Piseco Mom that imitation is the sincerest form of [...]
January 13th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
[...] She made homemade play dough snowmen –an idea which I shamelessly stole from this post on Piseco’s blog. [...]
January 13th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
[...] with playdough. Last week’s batch of white playdough is great for making snowmen – she likes to switch their hats – and rolling into worms, her latest [...]