By Megan Barber, Grocery and Wellness Buyer, Merchandising Manager, Co-op Owner
There is nothing more fun than making something interactive in the kitchen as a kid. My mom used to make my sister and I a version of homemade play dough and it was always so much fun to break it out on rainy days when she couldn’t make us go outside. Not that Mt. Pleasant has seen a lot of rainy days lately! I think my mom had just as much fun as we did when we made crystallized sugar sticks and even when we used her kitchen to house and hatch monarch butterflies. There is a plethora or fun you can have in the kitchen and some ventures even make good science projects – probably more interesting then the science project I did on mold one year… Below are some quick and easy recipes using some pretty common household ingredients!
Play Dough
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, mix in wet, and knead well! If the dough is too dry add a touch more water. If the dough is too wet, add a touch more flour! Keep in an airtight container for long lasting fun! Technically edible but it’s not recommended!
Slime (without glue)
- ½ teaspoon guar gum
- 1 cup warm water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon saline solution (contact solution works!)
- Your choice of food coloring
Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl and sprinkle in the guar gum. Mix until there are no lumps. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix. Add the baking soda and mix. Add the saline solution and mix until slimy! Keep in mind it’s not ideally edible! Sadly it doesn’t tend to last over night.
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups white sugar
- Clean glass jar (pint mason)
- Butter knife
- String
- Food coloring (optional)
Tie the string to the butter knife with enough dangling into the jar to almost touch the bottom of the jar when the knife is laid on top of the jar. (Be sure to wash your hands before handling the string!) In a sauce pan, boil the water and stir in the sugar one spoonful at a time until dissolved. All must be dissolved! Add food coloring if you choose to. Pour the solution into the jar and place the string into the solution, laying the knife on top of the jar. Place in a spot without a lot of dust. Crystals should start to form and keep building! Completely edible and delicious!
Long Lasting Bubbles
Mix together! The addition of corn syrup makes these bubbles last longer in the air! Keep unused mixtures in a container with a lid and break out any day!