Recipes / Ideas for Messy Play

Helpful Resource for messy play activities can be found in “The Gook Book” at www.pfot.com.

Gelatin Painting

Directions:
In a big container unroll all the toilet paper. Tear into smaller pieces. Pour water until it is wet. Grate the soap on top. Mix the borax on top. Stir. Add water in small amounts at a time. Squish. * This starts out gritty and becomes fluffy.

Oatmeal Fundough

You need:
2 Cups Uncooked Oatmeal
1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Water

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together.  NOTE:****This is not a tasty dough!

Pud

You need:
1/2 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Water
Food Coloring

Directions:
Mix the above ingredients together in a pan.

Slime

You need:
(A)
1 tsp Borax 
1/3 Cup Water
 
and
 
(B)
1/2 Cup Elmer's All-Purpose Glue 
1/2 Cup Water 
Food Coloring

Directions:
Mix A and B in separate bowls. Pour A and B into one bowl and stir. Mixture is ready when it does not stick to the spoon.

Detergent Painting

You need:
Dry Detergent
Water
 
Directions:
Add water to dry detergent (blue Cheer). It should be thick enough to handle. Apply with fingers, tongue depressors, Q-tips, plastic knives, forks or spoons to dark paper.

Sand Painting 1

You need:
White Sand
Food Coloring
 
Directions:
White sand may be mixed with food coloring. Stir until sand is colored, then let dry. Small containers of various colors may be poured or sprinkled onto a tray or flat pan with sides to create color patterns. Then use fingers and hands and sticks to create designs. When sand is all evenly mixed, pour into a large container for later play.

Sand Painting 2

You need:
White Sand
Dry Tempra Paint
 
Directions:
Color sand with dry tempra paint. Add paint to sand until desired color. Put glue on paper, sprinkle on sand and shake off excess.

Soap Painting

You need:
Ivory Soap Flakes
Water
 
Directions:
Beat Ivory Flakes and warm water with rotary beater until fluffy and fairly thick. Apply with brush directly on plastic tablecloth. Powdered paint may be sprinkled on at the table and sponges are fun to work with, too.

Eye Dropper Painting

You need:
Eye Dropper
Paint
 
Directions:
Paint by spots.

Oil Paint

You need:
1 Tbsp Powdered Paint
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Water
 
Directions:
Mix powdered paint with vegetable oil. To use, place water in a pie tin or other container. Using a spoon, children drop oil paint onto water, which will float. Place a piece of paper, (any kind will do, I prefer finger paint paper) on top of water and paint, then lift. That's it!  Continue to place new paint on top of old, change water as needed.

Salt Dribbles

You need:
Flour
Salt
Water
Liquid Paint
Plastic Squeeze Bottles
 
Directions:
Mix equal parts of flour, salt and water and add liquid paint for color. Pour into plastic squeeze bottles. Then let children squeeze this out in dribbles onto pieces of cardboard. Put the cardboard up to dry for a day if you want to preserve the product for parents. Offer several colors. Toddlers love to use squeeze bottles for anything. The colors pool together without mixing making interesting patterns, and toddles love to watch the mixture come out of the bottle. Squeezing the bottles gives their hand muscles some practice and strength building exercise.

Rainbow Stew

You need:
4 Cups Water
1 Cup Corn Starch
1/2 Cup Sugar
Food Coloring
 
Directions:
In a sauce pan or electric skillet mix water, cornstarch and sugar. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently. Mixture will become jelly-like. Divide into 3 separate bowls. Let cool. Add red food coloring to one bowl, blue to the other, and yellow in the last. Place 1 Tbsp of each color into Ziploc bags, zip and seal with tape. Then squich the colors to mix the colors of the rainbow.

Baking Clay

You need:
4 Cups Unsifted Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 1/2 Cups Water
 
Directions:
Mix with fingers. Store in plastic container. This cannot be doubled and should be used withing several hours. Bake on cookie sheet or an aluminum tray for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool. If object is thin, only 1/2 hour for baking is necessary.

Clay for Ornaments

You need:
4 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 Tbsp Powdered Alum
1 1/2 Cup Water
 
Directions:
Mix ingredients. If too dry, add another tablespoon water and work with hands. For ornaments, bake on ungreased cookie sheet about 30 minutes at 250 degrees. Turn and bake another 1 1/2 hours until hard and dry. Remove and cool. Sand lightly with fine sandpaper, if needed. Paint with acrylics or marker. Allow to dry and seal with clear shellac, spray plastic or clear nail polish.

Goop

You need:
1 Cup White Glue
1/2 Cup Blue Liquid Starch
 
Directions:
Put white glue in bowl. Mix in the liquid starch with your hand using a circular motion. If too runny, add a little more glue. If too sticky, add more starch. It should be thick and rubbery like silly putty. Store in covered, airtight container at room temperature.

Gloop

Directions:
Add flour to boiling water. Stir over low heat until think and shiny. Store in a covered container.

Lick 'Em Stick 'Em

You need:
2 Tbsp Geletin
2 Tbsp Water
 
Directions:
Boil gelatin, any flavor, with water. When cool apply to back of picture cutouts with fingertip. When it dries lick the back and stick it down. Note: This works on shiny magazine pictures only.

Non-Hardening Clay

You need:
2 Cups Self-Rising Flour
2 tsp Cooking Oil
2 Tbsp Alum
2 Tbsp Salt
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Boiling Water
 
Directions:
Mix ingredients together and knead until smooth.

Crazy Color Crayons

You need:
Tape
Crayons
 
Directions:
Wrap tape around three to six crayons any colors your child chooses. Or use high oven heat to melt broken crayons (a mix of colors) in a foil-lined muffin tin. Let your child scribble away in multi-colored splendor!

Wax Transparancies

You need:
Tissue Paper
Crayon Bits
Torn Paper
Wax Paper
 
Directions:
Put tissue paper, crayon bits, torn paper (even leaves, etc.) between 2 sheets of wax paper and press (do not slide) iron onto paper. May be mounted on paper or card or into paper frame.

Colored Corn Meal

You need:
Dry Powdered Paint
Corn Meal
Pie Tins
White Glue
Water / Liquid Starch
 
Directions:
Mix dry powdered paint with corn meal. Provide children with plastic spoons, small brushes, Q-tips, and small pie tins of white glue mixed with water or liquid starch. Let children paint on paper with the slue. Sprinkle colored corn meal over designs. Shake off excess. A variety of colors can be stored on the shelf to be used at a moment's notice.

Jack Frost Pictures

You need:
1 Tbsp Epsom Salt
2 Tbsp Water
Paint Brush
Dark Colored Paper
 
Directions:
Measure the Epsom salt and water into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until Epsom salts are dissolved. Cool slightly. Then let your child paint the mixture over the dark paper. When the water dries, Jack Frost designs will appear magically.

Rock People

You need:
Small Rounded Rocks
White Glue
Acrylic Paints
Brushes / Markers
 
Directions:
Pile 2 or 3 rocks together to make a figure. Glue well and let dry. Use paints or markers to add features. Make roads and rock houses for a town where the rock people can live.

Sparkle Balls

You need:
String
1/3 Cup Glue
2 Tbsp Water
Balloon
Glitter
 
Directions:
Soak lots of string (cotton) in glue and water a minumum of 5 minutes (overnight is best). Wrap a balloon with the string forming a network on it and splinkle with glitter. NOTE:  balloon may be lightly coated with vaseline, etc.). When string is dry, pop balloon.

Plaster

You need:
Dry Paster
Water
 
Directions:
Make depressions in sand with any object, hand, etc. Mix dry plaster with water until it's like thin pudding and pour.  Allow to thoroughly dry and paint as desired.

Spaghetti Collages

You need:
Spaghetti
Food Coloring
Water
 
Directions:
Boil spaghetti (or rice, noodles, etc.) in water that has been colored with food coloring. Boil 9-10 minutes. Rinse and drain. Store in plastic container. The children can then make designs on colored construction paper with the colored spaghetti. No glue or paste is needed. Allow to dry.  A very creative experience!

Dyeing Rigatoni or Noodles for Stringing

You need:
Rubbing Alcohol
Food Coloring
Container w/Lid
Rigatoni Noodles
 
Directions:
Combine a small amount of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of food coloring in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Add rigatoni (noodles, etc.) close lid tightly and shake well. Let dry on newspaper.

Printing

You need:
Pie Tins
Easel Paints
 
Directions:
Provide several pie tins of different colored easel paints. Let the child print by dipping a variety of objects into paint and making impressions onto absorbent paper. Use such printing objects as vegetables, sponges, hair curlers, nuts, plastic table toys. A very young child will tend to make a painting or scribbling experience out of this. Kitchen tools with handles and cookie cutters are good for beginners.

Face Paint

You need:
Food Coloring
Cold Cream
 
Directions:
Add food coloring to cold cream.

Cinnamon Ornaments

You need:
1/2 Cup Applesauce
3/4 Cup Cinnamon

Directions:
Mix ingredients together and roll into a ball. Flatten with a rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to make desired shape. Be sure to put a hole in the top of cookie for hanger. Lay flat to dry, turn ornaments over about once a day until completely dry. Usually takes about a week to dry completely.

Crystal Garden

You need:
Charcoal Briquettes / Sponge
4 Tbsp Laundry Bluing
4 Tbsp Hot Water
4 Tbsp Table Salt
4 Tbsp Household Ammonia
Ink / Food Coloring
 
Directions:
In a wide, shallow bowl or non-metal dish, place a few charcoal briquettes or cut up pieces of sponge. In another bowl, combine: laundry bluing, hot water, table salt, household ammonia and ink or food coloring (optional). Pour the solution over the sponges or charcoal. Place the garden where it won't be disturbed. Crystals will begin to grow within an hour. In a few days, add more solution, but don't pour it directly on the crystals.

Bobbing Raisins

You need:
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Raisins
 
Directions:
In a bowl or tall glass combine: vinegar and baking soda.  Add a few raisins, and watch them rise and fall.

Peanut Butter Playdough

You need:
4 Cups Peanut Butter
2 Cups Powdered Milk
6 Tbsp Honey
 
Directions:
Mix - it is edible!

Gerber Juice and Knox Gelatin

You need:
2 Envelopes Unflavored Knox Gelatin
3 Bottle Gerber Juice
 
Directions:
Microwave Directions: In a 1-quart square casserole dish, sprinkle envelopes of unflavored Knox Gelatin over 3 bottles (4 oz. ea.) Gerber Juice; let stand 3 minutes. Microwave at HIGH (full power) for 1 minute; stir thoroughly. Microwave at HIGH (full-power) for an additional 2 minutes, remove from microwave and stir until gelatin mixture is completely dissolved. Chill until firm, about 3 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares. Makes about 1 dozen "Gerber Finger Juice Blocks". NOTE: Gerber Orange, Mixed Fruit and yogurt-based juices are not recommended for this recipe. More vitamin C!

Snacks on a String

You need:
Raisins
Popcorn
Cheerios
Pretzels
Dried Apricots
Dried Apples or Prunes
Button Thread
Tapestry Needle
 
Directions:
Set out some or all of the above ingredients in individual bowls. Pick favorite ingredients and set out in a pattern.  Use a large blunt needle and knotted thread to string the foods. Use scissors and cut off needle. Knot ends of string and wear as a necklace. Nibble as needed.

Finger Jell-O

You need:
3 Boxes Jello-Flavored Gelatin
4 Pkgs Unflavored Gelatin
3 Cups Boiling Water
1 Cup Tap Water
 
Directions:
Dissolve unflavored gelatin in tap water. Mix Jello in boiling water. Combine Jello and gelatin. Pour in a 13"x9" pan.  Chill. Cut as desired.

Sicles

You need:
5 oz Paper Cups
Plastic Spoons
Fruit Punch / Chocolate Milk / Orange Juice
 
Directions:
Choose 1 type of "-sicle" to make: Orange, chocolate milk or fruit punch. Pour liquid into cup and freeze about 1 hour and then add plastic spoon to the center. Freeze until solid. Peel cup away.

Aggression Cookies

You need:
3 Cups Oatmeal
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 1/2  Softened Butter
1 Cup Flour
1 1/2 Tbsp Baking Soda.

Directions:
Let your children take out some of their aggressions by pounding on this dough. Have children combine in a large bowl. Let the children mash, knead and squeeze the ingredients with their hands until there aren't any lumps of butter. Then have them roll the dough into small balls (not quite as big as a walnut) and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Butter the bottom of a small glass and have them dip it into granulated sugar. This is what they use to flatten each ball of dough, dipping it into sugar each time.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove when lightly brown, cool a few minutes and crisp on a rack. Store in a tighty container. The dough keeps well in the refrigerator if you are unable to use it all in one session.