Kids Week: Edible Playdough and Finger Paint

I love stuff like this. It’s the kind of thing that every parent needs to have on brain-file so you can whip it out at a moment’s notice when the kiddos need some quality fun time. The best part is that I can almost guarantee that you have all of these ingredients in your kitchen at this very moment. Both recipes are made with every day stuff from the kitchen so they’re especially great for little ones who are still in the everything-in-mouth phase. (My oldest is 3 1/2 and he’s still kind of in that phase!) I can also almost guarantee that the kids won’t be the only ones eating the playdough. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya…

Peanut Butter Playdough

1 C creamy peanut butter
2 C powdered sugar
1/2 C honey

Directions: mix mix mix. I use my stand mixer to make it quick, clean and easy, but if you prefer to make it long, messy, and not-so-easy, let your kids mix it up by hand 🙂

A lot of PB playdough recipes you’ll find include dry milk powder, but I really don’t like the grainy texture it creates so I use straight powdered sugar. Plus, it tastes waaaay better.

This makes plenty for 2-3 kids to enjoy. Just give ’em rollers, cutters, molds, etc. and let them go to town! My son and his most favorite gal-pal had a blast with it.

My cupboards were a little bare when we made this batch, but one thing that’s really fun is to give them things like pretzel sticks, graham crackers, cheerios, m&m’s etc and let them build stuff and decorate it.

Be prepared to see a lot of lip smackin’ going on because this stuff is goooood.

Like really good. Good as in I had to have my own pile of playdough which I hoarded and dreamt about dipping in chocolate. Hmmm….chocolate. I think I might have a party one day where adults play with peanut butter playdough and then turn it into fondue. Brilliant, right?? Anyway, next time you need something quick to entertain the kiddos, bust out the PB playdough!

Let me start by saying that calling this recipe “edible” is somewhat of a stretch. While it’s totally healthy to consume it, you’re probably not going to want to voluntarily shove it in your mouth like you will the PB playdough. But at least you know what’s in it and it won’t hurt a thing if your little ones start licking their fingers! Another great option for finger paint is adding a few drops of food-safe coloring to vanilla yogurt or pudding. Both are fun to play with and taste super yummy! We had a lot of fun with this one though.

Home Made Finger Paint
3 T sugar
1/2 C cornstarch 2 C cold water
food coloring

Mix sugar and cornstartch together in a sauce pan. Add cold water and combine with a whisk. Cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens to a thin pudding consistency. I recommend stopping the cooking process a little before it’s the consistency you’d like because it thickens upon standing. Once removed from heat, COOL and then separate into bowls and color as desired.

Spread out big sheets of freezer paper or newsprint and let the kiddos go to town. Better yet, do it outside! A friend of mine told me she has her kids paint all over the shower walls. Makes a great canvas and when they’re done she just washes it down. I thought that was brilliant!

This paint will be soft and smooth at first and over time it will start to thicken. Depending on your kids {ie: 3 1/2 year old boys} the thickened goop may be even more fun to play with than the original mixture!

Hope you enjoy some crafty kitchen fun today!
Click Here for Printable versions of both recipes

Check back soon for the giveaway winners and be back Monday for more posts. Thanks for making this theme week so much fun! The good news is that our next theme week {and awesome giveaway} is coming up in just a few short weeks!

Other posts from Kids Week:
Homemade Hot Pockets
Hand Tossed Ice Cream
Frozen Pudding Pops– updated with Strawberries & Cream recipe!