Make Play Dough

Young children love to play with dough. And no wonder! They can squish and pound it and form it into fascinating shapes.

Here's a recipe to make at home. What you'll need:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Food coloring
Food extracts (almond, vanilla, lemon, or peppermint)
1 medium saucepan
Things to stick in the dough (Popsicle sticks, straws)
Things to pound with (like a toy mallet)
Things to make impressions with (jar lids, cookie cutters, or bottle caps)

What to do:
1. Add the food coloring to the water. Then mix all of the ingredients together in a pan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring until it forms a soft ball.
3. Let the mixture cool. Knead slightly. Add food extracts to different chunks of the dough if you want different smells.
4. Give some to your toddler or preschooler, so he can pound it, stick things in it, make impressions in it, and create all kinds of things.

Play dough is a great way to develop hand muscles and be creative. And cooking together, with all the measuring, is the perfect way to begin learning mathematics. Letting your child handle some dough while it is still slightly warm and some when it has cooled off is a terrific way to teach him about temperatures. Play dough can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight bag or container.

Kitchen Cutups!
Here are some recipes popular with preschoolers. Things always seem to taste better when you make them yourself!

What you'll need:

Knife For applewiches:
1 apple, cheese slices

For funny-face sandwich:
1 piece of bread; peanut butter, cream cheese, or egg salad; green pepper, celery, radishes, carrot curls; olives; nuts; hard-boiled egg slices;
tiny shapes of cheese; apples and raisins

For fruit Popsicle's: fruit juice (any kind), an ice cube tray or small paper cups, yogurt, mashed or crushed fruit, Popsicle sticks

For bumps on a log: celery, peanut butter, raisins.

What to do

1. Choose a safe spot to cook where you won't have to worry about making a mess.

2. Tell your child what the ingredients are. Talk about what you are doing as you go along. Ask and answer questions.

3. Let him smell, taste, and touch as you go. Let him (with your help) pour, stir, measure, and help clean up.

4. Applewiches. Core an apple. Cut the apple crosswise into thick slices. Put cheese slices between the slices. Cheddar cheese is particularly good. Eat like a sandwich.

5. Funny-face sandwich. Cut the bread into a circle. Spread with cream cheese, peanut butter, or egg salad. Decorate using green pepper, celery, radishes, carrot curls, olives, nuts, hard-boiled egg slices, tiny shapes of cheese, apples, or raisins for eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

6. Fruit Popsicles. Pour the fruit juice into small paper cups or an ice cube tray. Place a Popsicle stick in each cup or compartment before the juice is completely frozen. Return to the freezer until frozen solid. For variations, mix yogurt with the juice before freezing for a creamier Popsicle, or add mashed or crushed fruit such as strawberries, pineapple, or banana.

7. Bumps on a log. Spread peanut butter on the celery stalks. Decorate with raisins. Great snacks!

Bookmarks
Materials:
Scissors
Colored construction paper
Glue sticks or white glue
Stickers, glitter or cutouts, markers
A hole punch
Embroidery thread
Clear contact paper
1. Cut 2 1/4" X 7 1/2" rectangle from construction paper and two 2 1/2" X 7 3/4" from clear contact paper.  You may make patterns from light cardboard.
2. Children should write their name on one side of the paper.
Decorate the other side of the paper with a theme idea from your party.
3. Use stickers, markers, glitter or cut outs for children to decorate their bookmark. Make sure the decorations remain fairly flat against the paper.
4. Take the backing off one piece of contact paper and lay face up on the table. Place bookmark in the center of contact paper and smooth in place.
5. Take the backing off the second piece of contact paper and place over the bookmark.   Smooth together.
6. Trim contact paper to 1/8" from edge of bookmark.
7. Punch a hole in the top of the bookmark. 
8. Cut 10 strands of embroidery floss 8" long. 
9. Place strands together with ends even, fold in half and thread folded end through hole.   Don't pull all the way through, pull just enough through to put your finger in the loop.  Thread all the loose ends through the loop and pull up snug.

For children's books visit Buster's Bookshelf  www.bustersbookshelf.com

Make a Candy Train

Materials to make one train:
Low temp glue gun
1 roll of lifesavers
1 pkg. gum
4 round peppermint candies
1 Hershey's Kiss
1 roll Starburst candies
1 mini chocolate bar
1. Take the lifesaver roll and glue onto the package of gum. Glue the peppermints to the lower sides for wheels.
2. Glue the 2 Starburst candies together, then onto the lifesaver body to make the train cab.
3. Cut the paper off the top of the Hershey's  Kiss and flatten the point a little by pushing it on a hard surface.  Glue point down to the lifesaver roll for the train's chimney.
4. Glue the mini chocolate bar on the cab for the roof.

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Select a Craft Activity for your next party

Party Tips
Birthday Activities and Games
Special Party Invitations
Cake Decorating Ideas
Holiday Tips
Holidays Around the World
Make a Finger Puppet
Make a Sock Puppet
Make Play Dough

Animal Puppet Craft
Bouncy Ball Kit
Bubble Trumpet
Color Dotz Tub Tint
Candy Sand Castles
Child's Chef Apron
Child's Chef Hat
Cow Balloon
Dinosaur Piñata
Dora Piñata
Horse Piñata
Piñata Candy and Toys
Mini Bubbles
Mini Dog Bones
No. 1 Candle
Pencil Chalk
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Silly Straw
No. 1 Balloon
Inflatable Swords
Swirl Sucker
Candy Jewelry Kit
Tissue Flowers

USA

THEME ACTIVITIES
House of Representatives' Chamber Picture
(Prints on 11 X 17" paper)
Use stickers to decorate chamber.
Print Patriotic Stickers
Stickers use Avery 5660 Clear Mailing Labels for laser printers.
American Flag Coloring Page
A. Bill Coloring Page
Mace Coloring Page
Color the US Capitol
Capitol Maze
Make a Capitol Cap
(Cap prints on 11 X 17" paper)
US Word Puzzle

The House Chamber and Capitol Activities
Download entire 10-page activity booklet includes coloring pages, a word puzzle, and a maze.

Celebrating Veteran's Day
Activities for Veteran's Day
Celebrating Memorial Day

You’re Invited!

Party Invitations
Hand deliver your invitations by attaching each one to a helium filled balloon add some colorful curling ribbon.
Personalized Party Invitations

Cake Decorating

This is an easy way to decorate a store bought or homemade cake.  Purchase and extra mylar balloon that matches the theme of your party.   Cut out the design, spray the back with vegetable oil and place on top of the cake.

Birthday Punch

1 can Orange-Hawaiian Punch
Pineapple Juice
Fruit Punch
Sprite
Pour Orange-Hawaiian Punch into an ice cube tray; freeze.
In a punch bowl, combine equal amounts of pineapple juice, fruit punch, Sprite and the remainder of orange punch. Make as much as needed. Right before serving, add the frozen punch cubes.

Try having a parade with musical toys! Use Noisemakers to give a variety of Big Band sounds!

Rise and Shine

Decorate the birthday boy/ girl's room after you're sure they have fallen asleep. Use the number of balloons for the number of years old.   What an exciting way to wake up on a very special day.

Birthday Party Supplies
by ShindigZ.com