Easy Playdough Recipe

The Kindergarten classes at my kids school always asks for volunteer's to make playdough for the class. Of course I try to help out where I can and making playdough takes very little of my time, and besides, the kids enjoy playing with it. Since it's been four years since my oldest child has been in Kindergarten, I discovered this recipe I was given back then has become outdated! To colour the playdough, the recipe calls for the little packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid powder. I've always liked to use it because 1. it's easy and 2. the playdough is scented in the flavour of Kool-Aid you chose. Apparently unsweetened Kool-Aid powder is no longer sold (that I could find in our local grocery store), but it's now sold in a sweetened liquid form and you can add how ever many drops to a big jug of water or a small water bottle. I don't recommend using this to colour the playdough, but rather food colouring.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup table salt

4 tsp. cream of tartar or alum (found in the spice/baking aisle)

2 cups water

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Food colouring or 1 packet Kool-Aid powder (if you can find it)

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar (or alum) and Kool-Aid powder (if you have it) together in a large cooking pot.

2. Mix water and cooking oil together in a separate bowl. Mix in food colouring in this step if you are using it.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix.

4. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it forms a ball-like shape. Do not overcook (about 5-7 minutes).

5. Turn dough onto clean, dry counter surface and finish mixing/kneading by hand. Putting the dough on parchment or waxed paper works really well. For protection if you have sensitive hands, you can wear dish gloves for this step but it's not required.

6. Allow dough to cool. If you can, lightly wrap the parchment paper around the playdough so it doesn't dry while cooling. Store playdough wrapped in parchment paper in a Ziplock bag.

7. Have fun playing! If you don't have playdough toys, kitchen utensils work great and create fun patterns. Just make sure to supervise your kids.

Tip: Kid-Friendly Garden

This lovely old water hand pump used to be in my mom's garden and I remember playing with it as a kid. Well she passed it on to me for my own garden. And it never crossed my mind that my own kids would like to play with it. After I realized this, I quickly found this nice flat stone for them to stand on to play with the pump without crushing any flowers. So, if you decide to use any garden decor that may look fun for a kid to play with, make sure you make a spot for them to enjoy it and make their own memories with.

Easy Outdoor Chalk Board

So don't forget we live on a farm and we have an endless supply of pallets at our disposal. There's lots of ideas out there for what you can do with them. Last summer I tried a pallet garden (it worked, well, just okay). I happened to remember I kept an old piece of plywood around for covering a window where we stack firewood, put two and two together, and came up with this idea. The kids also have absolutely nowhere to use sidewalk chalk because we have a gravel lane. This option allows me to set the chalk board wherever I want (I can even lay it down); I can tie it to something for extra support; it's heavy enough it won't blow away (it's windy up here!) - but not too heavy so I can bring it in out of the rain and snow.

Here's how I did it:

Outdoor Chalk Board from a pallet:

What you need:

1. A space to paint or something to cover your space with

2. An old pallet. Scrub it with soap and water and a brush if needed.

3. A piece of plywood to fit on the pallet. I was lucky and this one just fit. You may have to cut one to size. Sand rough edges if needed. Plywood is the least expensive material to use, but it is rough. Particle board may also work if you can find one big enough.

4. An exterior primer paint for longevity. I used Zinsser Peel Stop Plus - it helps to seal the old plywood; And a chalk paint in whatever colour you want. I found both of these at Canadian Tire.

Or for a homemade chalk paint option, go here for instructions.

5. Paint roller (see next photo) and roller frame; medium size paint brush; stir sticks; painter's tape and paint can opener. 

The other how-to's I looked at recommended a rough service paint roller to help get the paint in all the nooks and crannies of the plywood. I found this one at Canadian Tire:

6. A cordless power drill and wood screws long enough to go through the plywood and pallet. I happened to have these screws from a previous project.

7. Two hooks (from Canadian Tire); two buckets (from any Dollar Store) and side walk chalk. I found this huge box of chalk at WalMart for only $6!!! The hooks will hold the buckets where the chalk will go. One bucket will do fine if you're making it for one child to use.

8. (Optional) Plastic wrap to wrap brush and roller between coats of paint; hammer to help close paint can lids.

The Steps:

1. Tape around the plywood and paint on two coats of primer with the roller, waiting the recommended time between coats. 

2. Paint two to three coats of chalk board paint with the roller, waiting the recommended time between coats.

For the primer and the chalk board paint, I never used a paint tray, I just poured it on the plywood:

TIP: Just make sure you pour out onto the French side so you don't cover the English instructions:

3. Remove the painter's tape, paint with brush around the space left on the pallet with the primer (I did one coat). Then I painted two coats of a leftover white exterior paint. You can use whatever colour you want, or leave this step out completely (your plywood may fill the whole pallet).

4. Set up in an area where your kids like to play. You could hammer some steel bars into the ground and wire the chalk board to that. You can also lay it flat on the ground. I could also see it working as a restaurant sign/menu board!

UPDATED:

Ideally, you should wait 12-24 hours before using the chalkboard. Some people say 48 hours. After this period you should prime it. Do this by laying a piece of chalk on its side and cover the entire board with chalk. Wipe with a dry rag and then erase. If you leave out this step, it's possible the chalk you first write with will not erase. I didn't wait quite 12 hours nor did I prime it before we used it. This step is entirely up to you, but I have read that the longevity and durability increases if you follow the above steps. And as long as there is no dirt on the chalkboard, you can cover with another coat of paint if there is chalk staining you want to hide.

First Post

So what is my very first blog post going to be? Wait, am I officially a "blogger"?! Right now I'm hoping this won't control my life. Will I have time to do this?......
All that aside, I'll probably start by giving you an inside look into my life.

My husband and I cash crop 2,500-3,000 acres of soybeans, corn, canola, wheat, barley and some hay. This varies from year to year as we rent all of our land except the 100 acres we live on and own. And I'll be honest, I have no idea how to run any equipment or understand any of the technicals of farming. I look after paperwork; billing, making sure things get paid like our hired men and the GST/HST. I'm not so much of a procrastinator as I used to be, but I'd much rather be out in the garden or work on some project for the house, than be sitting doing paperwork. So sometimes the pile of papers gets quite overwhelming.

We have two very busy and active children, Jenna (almost 8) and Jacob (almost 3). Jenna loves to talk, and Jacob is still working on getting his words. And as you can imagine, its frustrating at times to try to communicate with the two. But when they are talking, playing, running and laughing, I know they are healthy, and that's all that matters to me. Last year I created this video for a contest on the importance of growing up on a farm.

Oh, and I can't forget our house cat Chino and farm dog Vixen. They've provided much needed distraction for me and make the kids so happy.

So what will this blog be about? Watch this space for recipes, ideas, photos, how-to's and a look into the daily life of a farmer's wife.

I'm on Instagram and Pinterest, so make sure you follow me there too - the links are at the top of the page, If you're viewing this blog from a mobile device, you'll have to switch to web version in order to see the links.