Messy Play Recipes

Creative recipes for messy play fun!  Enjoy the chaos of a messy kitchen and messy little hands and fingers and make your husband clean up afterward!  Pouring, mixing, and kneading are great ways to strengthen the hands and build fine motor skills.  Getting messy is also a great way to develop your child’s tactile skills.  These recipes are great because each offers a unique texture for your child to explore.

Oatmeal Playdough
Ingredients:

• flour – 1 cup
• oatmeal – 2 cups
• water – 1 cup

Directions:

• Mix the oatmeal and flour in a bowl
• Slowly add water to mixture
• Knead the mixture until it is well combined
• Add some coffee grounds or cornmeal to create different textures (this recipe tends to be pretty sticky.  The coffee grounds or cornmeal help to reduce the stickiness.)

Peanut Butter Playdough
Ingredients:

• peanut butter – 3.5 cups
• dry milk – 4 cups
• sugar – 4 cups
• honey – 3.5 cups

Directions:

• Mix the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl
• Beat in the honey and milk powder until smooth
• Add food coloring if desired

Unfortunately, this playdough does not last.  You should keep it for one day only.

Kool-Aid Playdough
Ingredients:

• flour – 1 to 2 cups
• boiling water – 1 cup
• corn oil – 3 tbsp
• salt – 0.5 cups
• Koolaid – 1 package

Directions:

• Mix dry ingredients
• Add boiling water
• Mix throughly
• Knead the flour and other ingredients until very well mixed (once cool, your kids can definitely help with this part)
• Add additional flour to create the thickness of your liking

You can store this playdough in the refrigerator for repeated use!

Goop
Ingredients:

• One part liquid starch
• Two parts white glue
• Food coloring

Directions:

• Slowly drip the starch into the glue until mixture becomes a workable ball.

You can add a drop of glue if it is too stringy or add more starch if it is too hard.  Best if chilled for 2-3 hours before play.

Store in refrigerator in a covered container.
 



Silly Putty
Ingredients:

• Glue (wood glue or white glue)
• Epsom salts
• Water

Directions:

• In a cup, stir 1/2 tsp Epsom salt and 1/2 tsp water
• In a second cup, put 1 tablespoon glue
• Add the salt water to the glue and stir
• After the putty forms, pull it out and place it on waxed paper
• Store in a plastic bag in a refrigerator, keep off carpets and furniture

Edible Slime
Ingredients:

• 14- ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• 10-15 drops of food coloring

Directions:

• Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan
• Add the cornstarch and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly
• When the mixture thickens remove it from the heat and then add the food coloring.
• Allow it to cool before playing

Try them all!  I’d love to hear which one was your favorite!

Remember we have moved to www.embraceyourchaos.com.  Check us out for weekly ideas to foster your child's motor and sensory development!

We Have Moved!

My blog has been moved to http://embraceyourchaos.com.  Hope to see you there! 

Fun DIY Winter Crafts

Crafts are a great way to have fun while also building your child's fine motor and sensory-motor skills.  There are several ways to use common objects you have around the house to strengthen those small muscles of the hand, improve dexterity, refine grasping skills, and provide great entertainment! 

Snowmen are always fun to make.  You can use several different objects around the house to substitute for a traditional paint brush and really work those fine motor muscles.  Dab the paint on with a sponge, pat it on with a cotton ball, or brush it on with a q-tip.  Cut a smaller piece from a large sponge to promote a more refined grasp.  You can also glue cotton balls onto paper to make your snowman - have your child pull the cotton ball into smaller pieces before gluing on.
    

Creating snowflakes is a great way to foster creativity and build cutting skills.  Younger children that are not yet scissor-savy can contribute by simply making snips along the borders of the paper.  Have your child decorate their snowflakes by tearing tissue paper into small pieces, rolling the pieces into a ball with their fingertips, and then gluing them on.  For an added challenge, have your child dip a toothpick into glue and then use it to pick up the tissue paper pieces (go ahead and apply drops of glue onto the snowflake for your  child to stick the paper pieces to).

Have any left over packing peanuts from your online Christmas shopping?  Use them to make snow flakes in a picture.  Tearing the packing peanuts is a great fine motor activity.  Have you child use tongs or a toothpick to place them onto their masterpiece!  You can also have fun with packing peanuts by placing a lot of them into a large box and hiding treasure inside for your child to find - it's a great sensory-motor activity!

Sometimes the best craft supplies can be found at home rather than in the store!!!!

It's a Different World

Like all generations before us, our world growing up was dramatically different than the world in which our children will experience.  No, we didn't walk uphill to school both ways in a snowstorm but we did actually have to play outside and entertain ourselves with actually objects, not electronics.  I remember my mother telling me to go outside and play until it was time for dinner (and she meant it...unless I was throwing up or bleeding, then I had better keep my butt outside!).  And remember Kindergarten?  We spent our days learning our numbers and letters, singing songs and listening to story time, learning to climb and swing on the playground, growing our imaginations and fine motor skills with pretend play and center time, and taking naps.  Even TV is different than it was when we were growing up.  Remember how slow Sesame Street use to be?  Now it seems that cartoons just get brighter, louder, and faster-paced.    

These days, our kids are expected to know how to form their letters, write their names, and sit at the table for a considerable amount of time from pretty much the first day of school.  They typically have very limited time to play outside and are lucky if they have the opportunity to participate in music or art.  The school day seems to also be getting longer and longer.  God bless our teachers because I know I could NEVER do what they do on a daily basis.  But it's not just our schools; it's our society in general.  We are a digital-based generation, but what does that mean for our kids?  TV, computers, smart phones, advanced video games, I Pads....the list goes on and on.  As a parent and as an occupational therapist, I can't help but worry about what this trend means for our children.  More and more kids are being diagnosed with attention disorders and developmental delays.  I see more and more kids with insufficient core and upper body strength, affecting their ability to perform gross motor tasks, maintain upright sitting at the table, and create the stability they need to build fine motor skills.  More and more have difficulty holding their pencil, problem-solving, and interacting with peers.  While these issues are not all related to changes in our society, it is important that we, as parents, remember to expose our children to the more "old-fashion" types of play.

Get out the blocks, Legos, and other manipulatives.  Set out various supplies, such as cotton balls, glitter, glue, crayons, play dough, toothpicks, q-tips, and tissue paper and see what your little one can create.  Play with tongs, tear paper, lace, and string beads.  Give your child opportunities to play and practice their letters in sand, mud, shaving cream, and paint.  Have your child help around the house, such as bringing in the groceries, sweeping, raking, pulling weeds, pulling out the laundry, and washing the windows.  Challenge them to create obstacle courses at home with floor pillows, tunnels, old boxes, blankets, etc.  Remember that pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying are great ways to provide your child with good sensory input and are also great ways to strength the core, arms, and legs.  Provide your child with ample time outside to climb; dig; jump; swim; swing; ride bikes; kick, throw, catch, and hit the ball; play games such as hopscotch, tag, Simon Says, and Red Light, Green Light; and even build with rocks and sticks.

Remember that not all of your child's time needs to be structured.  Give them opportunities to learn to entertain themselves and build their imagination and problem-solving skills. 

    

What a cute little boy!

Am I the only mother whose child is constantly confused for the opposite sex?  Unless she is dressed in pink from head to toe, it never fails that some stranger will come up to me and compliment me on what a cute little boy I have.  And from time to time, we get this compliment even when she is dressed in pink (I mean HELLO, do you REALLY think I am going to put my little boy in a pink shirt?).  I, personally, have given up and have resigned myself to simply replying, "thank you."  My husband, on the other hand, still feels compelled to defend her honor, correcting strangers as politely as possible, but still leading to that uncomfortable apology speech.  I know it's silly to take offense, but I can't help but think, "I KNOW you did NOT just call my beautiful little girl a little boy," but I merely mumble under my breath and move along.  I mean, I am not that mother that puts my child in dresses or in bows (not that she would tolerate this anyway).  And I have to admit, secretly, that there are days that she does kinda look like a boy (today was especially one of those days).  But like all "mama bears," it bothers me when my perfect, sweet, beautiful little GIRL is confused for anything else!  Maybe now I can convince her father that this surfer hairdo is not helping our cause!

I think I know what we are doing tomorrow!!!

 

Oh the times, they are a changin'!

My how things have changed!  While out for a walk last week, I suddenly realized that Clara had not nursed all day.  This wasn’t a big deal since we are working on decreasing the amount of times she nurses in the day anyway.  But I knew that there was a good chance that I may soon become uncomfortable.  As I was thinking about this, I automatically brought my hands to my chest to feel how full they were (you know that if you have ever nursed a child that you have caught yourself doing the exact same thing!).  At that moment, it really struck me how much things have changed.  A few years ago, the only reason I would have brought my hands up to my chest would be to make sure the girls were properly aligned.  There is NO point in that now because nothing can be properly aligned in those god-awful nursing bras.  And forget about taking the time to actually take a shower and make myself look decent in the mornings.  I have bags under my eyes that go on for days, somehow it seems like the wrinkles on my forehead have tripled in the past year, my hair is always a mess, and I’m lucky if my clothes half-way match.  Let’s not even talk about the fact that I would never be caught dead in a bikini again!  But pregnancy and child-birth haven’t been completely all bad to my figure.  I actually weigh slightly less than when I got pregnant thanks to never being able to sit down and with a child that likes to be constantly carried, my arms are as toned as they have ever been.  

It’s hard to feel good about yourself when you feel like you are constantly a mess.  There was once a time when it was not uncommon for me to get a second look from a stranger, but now I’m convinced that I have either completely disappeared or that I have a huge sign on my head that reads “I clean up poop most of my day.”  Don’t get me wrong, I am a happily married woman but it’s nice to occasionally have confirmation that I can still look good.  It’s hard to find time for yourself after you have kids, but it’s important to do something every day that is just for you….thanks Amy for these words of wisdom!  Clara has made my life 100 times more perfect and I gladly accept all the black circles, stretch marks, and grey hairs that came along with her.  However it’s nice to also have something that reminds yourself that the former you is still in there somewhere!

So I challenge all you moms to do one thing for yourself every day this week.  Be it exercising, taking a yoga class, putting on your make-up, taking a long bath, or making sure you brush your hair J!  You may even decide to get wild and have one glass of wine before passing out on the couch!  Go for it!

Oldies but goodies:

Let's Get Moving!!!!

I am not a fan of cold weather.  This is one (of the few) areas that my husband and I do not see eye to eye.  He would love to move to Colorado but I would only go kicking and screaming.  But, we all know that staying inside all day and having kids is NOT a good combination!  While I may be happy lying around on the couch for the day, Clara would tolerate my laziness for, oh, about 30 minutes if I was lucky.  After about an hour or two in the morning, I am racking my brain about what I can do to entertain her.  When it's warm outside, it's not a problem.  We go for a walk, swing on the play set, go to the pool, play in the yard, or go to the park.

But when it's cold out, it's time to find some alternative solutions.  Yes, we could go to the mall but that would require her to spend most of her time in the stroller and that does not meet my goal of getting out some of her energy!  Also, as an OT, I know that our children's bodies need regular physical activity to stay healthy and to build the muscle strength they need to develop those fine motor and gross motor skills.  Physical activity also helps to calm their little bodies, making it easier for them to cope with frustration, deal with stressors, and soothe themselves, which, in turns, makes for a happier child and a happier mommy.

There are quite a few ways to get your child moving if you are stuck in the house.  Pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, crawling, rolling, and jumping are great ways to help your child get out extra energy and get the sensory input their little body's need. 

The tunnel is one of our favorites.  Clara loves to crawl back and forth through the tunnel, which is also great for continuing to strengthen her little arms now that she is walking.  You can place the tunnel over pillows for an extra challenge. 

She also loves to carry toys in containers with handles, which helps to improve her walking balance, makes her stronger, and is a great physical activity.

Pushing is another of her favorites.  We have a ton of big boxes left over from Christmas that Clara loves to push her toys around in. 

She also loves to figure out how to climb in the boxes herself, which is also a great physical activity AND is great for her problem-solving skills.

For older kids, tunnels are also great.  For extra fun, you can cover old phone books with fabric and have your children push them through the tunnel or carry them though the house to deliver the "presents" to family members and stuffed animals.  They (or you) can also create obstacle courses in the floor using large floor pillows, old comforters, and other items around the house that your child can crawl over, under, or through.  Make it fun by having your child carry puzzle pieces or stuffed animals from one side of the obstacle course to the other.  Other ideas to get out some energy and strengthen their little core and arms include having your child animal walk (lizard crawl, bear walk, frog jumps, bunny hops, crab walk) from one side of the room to the other to collect puzzle pieces, game pieces, building blocks during play or playing "Simon Says" using physical movements such as jumping, rolling, and child-friendly yoga poses!  

Trust me, getting your little one moving will make the day better for them and for you.  So, get creative and let the fun begin!