Fun Kid Recipes

Ok, Taylor (and anyone else who is interested) I'm finally posting the recipes I mentioned here.

Let me know if you try any of these! Have fun :o)

Quicksand
Materials: cornstarch, water, plastic cup, plastic utensil
Directions: fill plastic cup 1/2 full of cornstarch. Add water and mix gently until it can be stirred. It's the right consistency when you can slide your finger in slowly but bounces off when you poke it.
How it works: it's a mix between liquid and solid. When a quick force is applied (i.e. poking) it acts as a solid. When a gentle force is applied (i.e. slow stirring) it acts as a liquid.
Warning: this one makes a MESS! With little ones I recommend keeping it in the cup. Older kids will have fun pouring it from one hand to another but I'd still do it outside. Remember, it's a solid when you move quickly so if it starts to run everywhere start squeezing and kneading with your hands! Fortunately, this one cleans up easily as it's just cornstarch after the water evaporates but it would be nasty in carpet.

Slime
Materials: Elmer's glue (4 oz bottle, either clear or white), water, borax or liquid starch (get it at your grocery store in the laundry detergent section, also works as a good stain remover!), 2 bowls, food coloring (optional!)
Directions: 
1. Dissolve 1 tsp. borax in one cup of water and set aside.
2. Mix 4 oz. glue (1 small bottle) with 1/2 cup water. If you're adding food coloring, now is the time to add it.
3. Slowly pour the dissolved borax into the glue mixture and stir. You'll start to see clumps instantly. It's easiest to mix it with your hands, but be careful, as plain borax will irritate your skin. I like to pour the borax in bit by bit and mix by hand.
4. It will be wet and squishy at first, but keep kneading and it will become more solid. You can toss out any extra water.
5. Store it in a ziplock bag in the fridge (it can mold if left out) and keep it for rainy days!
How it works: this polymer is another type of liquid/solid hybrid. You can stretch it out by pulling slowly or break it into two pieces by pulling quickly.
Warning: Again, if it starts to go everywhere, start kneading it together to make it more solid. It washes out of pretty much everything but may affect the color or fabric of furniture. I don't add food coloring if smaller kids are involved because if any pieces drop into carpet the food coloring will transfer and potentially dye the surface. It can also dye your hands while mixing but that's usually not an issue--hands are washable for a reason! If you use clear glue the resulting slime will be transparent, while the white glue makes your slime opaque. I like the white glue best but they both look cool.

Peanut Butter Playdough
Materials: peanut butter, honey, powdered sugar or powdered milk, cookie cutters, chocolate chips
Directions: Mix 1 cup peanut butter, 2 cups powdered sugar (I usually end up using a little less), and 1/2 cup honey (you might need a little more if you live in a dry climate like I do!). You can mix quickly in a stand mixer or let the kids get involved and do it by hand. It should be a good consistency that rolls out a little sticky but holds together when you cut shapes out. Then have fun making and decorating and don't forget to eat!
Notes: it's healthier if you use powdered milk but has a grainier texture. It is incredibly addicting when made with powdered sugar so this is great if you're looking for something both you and the kids will like. Store in a closed container, no need to refrigerate as it works best warm.
Warning: don't leave the dough unattended on the counter as your husband will probably eat it after the kids are in bed.

Glow in the Dark Food
Materials: any liquid or gelatin food, tonic water, blacklight
Directions: add a little bit of tonic water to juice, lemonade, punch or mix it half and half with water when making jello--and the resulting food will glow under black light! You can also add tonic water to your slime to make it glow...
How it works: tonic water contains quinine, which is a chemiluminescent molecule. When exposed to black light, energy is transferred the molecule that is released by releasing light, aka glowing.
Warning: tonic water is bitter tasting, so you only need a little bit and it works best when mixed in a juice drink to cover the flavor. This isn't the same as glow in the dark, but you can buy a blacklight bulb or flashlight at any home improvement store and many grocery stores. Also, in case you were wondering, scorpions glow under blacklight so you can use it to find lurking creatures at night. Around here we call that Black Lighting, and it's scorpion hunting with a flashlight and baseball bat....

Cartesian Diver Toy
Materials: water bottle or 2 liter bottle, water, ketchup/soy sauce packet
Directions: test your sauce packet to find one with the right bouyancy. It needs to barely float in a bowl of water. After you find one that works, place it in your empty bottle, fill it up with water, and cap. The packet will float somewhere in the top half of the bottle. When you squeeze the sides, the packet will "dive" to the bottom of the bottle. It floats back up when you let go.
How it works: squeezing the sides of the bottle increases the pressure in the container, causing the air bubble inside the sauce packet to decrease in volume. With a smaller volume of air in the packet, it will sink to the bottom. Releasing the sides of the bottle normalizes the pressure and the packet will again float.
Warning: how much of a mess can you make with a capped water bottle and sealed sauce packet? Wait, don't answer that.....really though, the only thing that goes wrong with this one is people wonder why your child is drinking ketchup packets.