Marshmallow Dough

There are some ingredients you can bring to the table without anyone noticing. Marshmallows aren't one of them. The bag isn't even open yet, and the kids already want in. A few tumble into the bowl. They know these soft, squishy things. They've dropped them into cups of hot chocolate, toasted them over fires, and eaten plenty straight from the bag. But today, we're going to find out what happens when we don't eat them. Soon they will puff and stretch and stick to just about everything. And somewhere in all that mess, the marshmallows will stop being a treat waiting in a bowl and become something little hands can really get into. Marshmallow play dough. For more homemade doughs that begin in the kitchen and end up on the play table, explore our Play Dough Recipes for Kids collection. And if this has the kids looking at the pantry a little differently, our Play Recipes for Kids collection is full of more ingredients that don't stay ordinary for long. What You...

Bread Clay

Some afternoons, the best thing to do isn't waiting in the craft cabinet. It's hiding in the kitchen. A few slices of bread land on the table, and little hands begin tearing them into a bowl. At first, it's exactly what it looks like: bread being pulled into smaller and smaller pieces. Then we pour in the glue. The pieces stick to fingers, then to each other. The squeezing begins, and slowly the bowl of bread starts becoming something no one would have guessed from where we started. Clay. Made from bread. And now there is plenty to do.

Ghost Rice

The blue rice already looks a little ghostly beneath the blacklight. Little hands hover over the bin, moving from one spot to another. Then they reach in. “It’s COLD!” Hands pull back, then go straight in again. This time they dig deeper, burying their fingers in the glowing rice before lifting two chilly handfuls into the air. Blue grains spill between their fingers and scatter back into the bin. “You have to touch it!” If your little ghosts are ready for more Halloween fun, there is plenty more waiting in our Halloween Activities for Kids collection. And for more things to mix, make, scoop, and explore, visit our Play Recipes for Kids collection.

Marker Paint

She drags the marker across the paper, leaving barely a streak of color. She tries again, pressing a little harder this time. Nothing. I catch the marker before it makes it to the trash. Soon, that same dried-out marker sits tip-down in a little jar of water. A thin ribbon of blue slips from the tip and curls through the clear water. She leans closer. If your kids love making the paint almost as much as using it, there are plenty more colorful ways to create in our Paint Recipes for Kids collection. And for more things to mix, make, squish, and explore, visit our Play Recipes for Kids collection.