The Preschooler’s Busy Book (25 page)

3.
Add bananas, water, and vegetable oil.
Stir until the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes.

4.
Spoon the batter into a round cake pan.
Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve hot with butter or margarine.

Ingredients

2½ cups lemonade

1 cup orange juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup papaya juice

1 cup guava juice

Materials

Large pitcher or punch bowl

Long spoon for mixing

1.
Mix all the juices together in a large pitcher or punch bowl.

2.
Serve over ice.

Called
cinq centimes
(five-cent cookies) in the marketplaces of Dakar, these cookies are simple to make and tasty to eat.

1 16-ounce package sugar cookies (or make your own)

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup chopped peanuts

1.
Spread each sugar cookie with peanut butter.

2.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

“There is so much to teach, and the time goes so fast.”

—Erma Bombeck

Even at a very young age, your child can begin to develop her own creative skills and understand the artistic work of others.
Visual art is not limited to paper and paint, but includes many different media.
The craft materials in this section are essential for every child’s artwork: paint, glue, paste, modeling compounds, and more.

Each of the following recipes will produce a good paint for your child to use.
Each varies in the ingredients required and the method used, so choose one that best suits the supplies you have on hand and the time you have available.

When mixing paint, keep in mind the age of the artist; as a general rule, the younger the artist, the thicker the paint (and brushes) should be.
Paint should be stored covered; small plastic spill-proof paint containers are available at your local art supply store.
These come with an airtight lid for storage, hold brushes upright nicely without tipping, and, at several dollars each, are well worth the purchase price.

Flour-Based Poster Paint

¼ cup flour

Saucepan

1 cup water

Small jars or plastic containers

3 tablespoons powdered tempera paint

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon liquid starch or liquid detergent (optional)

Measure flour into a saucepan.
Slowly add 1 cup water to make the paste smooth.
Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken.
Cool.
Measure a quarter cup of the flour paste into a small jar or plastic container.
Add three tablespoons powdered tempera paint and two tablespoons water for each color.
For an opaque finish, add liquid starch.
For a glossy finish, add liquid detergent.
Store covered.

Detergent Poster Paint

1 tablespoon clear liquid detergent

2 teaspoons powdered tempera paint

Small jars or plastic containers

For each color, mix together liquid detergent and powdered tempera paint in a amall jar or plastic container.
This makes enough for one painting session.

Condensed Milk Paint

Bowl or other container

1 cup condensed milk

Food coloring

In a bowl, mix one cup of condensed milk with drops of food coloring to make a very glossy, brightly colored paint.
This paint is not intended to be eaten, but it won’t harm any child who decides to make a snack of it.

Homemade Face Paint

This face paint is suitable for painting designs with a small brush.

Bowl or other container

1 teaspoon corn starch

½ teaspoon cold cream

½ teaspoon water

Food coloring

Small paintbrush

In a bowl, stir together corn starch and cold cream until well blended.
Add water and stir.
Add food coloring, one drop at a time until you get the desired color.
Paint designs on face with a small paintbrush; remove with soap and water.
Store paint in a covered plastic container or a baby food jar.

Halloween Face Paint

Bowl or other container

1 tablespoon solid shortening

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Food coloring

Sponge (optional)

Small paintbrush (optional)

In a bowl, mix shortening and cornstarch together until smooth.
Add food coloring, one drop at a time, until you get the desired color.
Use a sponge or your fingers to apply paint over a large area, such as an entire face.
To paint a design with a small brush, thin the paint with a little water first.
Remove with soap and water.
Store paint in a baby food jar or a covered plastic container.

Egg Yolk Paint

This recipe is suitable for painting edible cookies.

1 egg yolk

¼ teaspoon water

Food coloring

Bowl or other container

Paintbrush

In a bowl, mix one egg yolk with a quarter teaspoon water and lots of food coloring.
Use a paintbrush to paint freshly baked cookies; return cookies to oven until egg solidifies.

Each of the following recipes produces a good fingerpaint, however the ingredients and mixing methods vary.
Choose one that is suitable for the ingredients you have on hand and the time you have available.

Cornstarch Fingerpaint

3 tablespoons sugar

½ cup cornstarch

Medium saucepan

2 cups cold water

Muffin tin or small cups

Spoon

Food coloring

Soap flakes or liquid dishwashing detergent

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over low heat.
Add cold water and continue stirring until the mixture is thick.
Remove from heat.
Divide the mixture into four or five portions, spooning them into sections of a muffin tin or small cups.
Add a drop or two of food coloring and a pinch of soap flakes or a drop of liquid dishwashing detergent to each portion.
Use a different color for each cup.
Stir and let cool.
Store covered in an airtight container.

Flour Fingerpaint

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons salt

1½ cups cold water

1¼ cups hot water

Saucepan

Whisk or rotary beater

Food coloring or powdered tempera paint

Put flour and salt in a saucepan.
Add cold water and beat with a whisk or rotary beater until smooth.
Add hot water and boil until mixture is thick.
Beat again until smooth.
Keep in the refrigerator and color as needed with food coloring or powdered tempera paint.

Everyone seems to have their own favorite playdough recipe, and many old favorites have been included here.
Some require cooking, some are no-cook, some are meant to be eaten, and some are not.
Choose the recipe that best suits your requirements and the ingredients you have on hand.
Store playdough in a covered container or plastic bag.
If it sweats a little, just add more flour.

Oatmeal Playdough

This is an ideal playdough for your child to make herself.
It must be refrigerated, and it doesn’t last as long as cooked playdough.

1 part flour

1 part water

2 parts oatmeal

Bowl

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well and knead until smooth.
This is not intended to be edible, but it will not hurt kids if they eat it.

Uncooked Playdough

1 cup cold water

1 cup salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Tempera paint or food coloring

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Bowl

Mix water, salt, oil, and enough tempera paint to make a bright color.
Gradually add flour and cornstarch until the mixture reaches the consistency of bread dough.

Colored Playdough

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup salt

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

Food coloring

Saucepan

1 cup flour

Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.
Remove from heat and add flour.
Stir, then knead until smooth.
Keep in mind that the cream of tartar makes this dough long-lasting—up to six months or longer—so resist the temptation to leave it out if you don’t have it on hand.
This dough should be stored in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag.
Do not refrigerate.

Salt Playdough

1 cup salt

1 cup water

½ cup flour

Saucepan

Combine salt, water, and flour in a saucepan; mix and cook over medium heat.
Remove from heat when mixture is thick and rubbery.
As the mixture cools, knead in enough flour to make the dough workable.

Peanut Butter Playdough

Definitely an edible playdough!

18 ounces peanut butter

6 tablespoons honey

Nonfat dry milk or milk plus flour

Cocoa or carob for chocolate flavor (optional)

Bowl

Edible treats for decoration

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix, adding enough dry milk or milk plus flour to reach the consistency of bread dough.
Add cocoa or carob, if desired.
Shape, decorate with other edible treats, and eat!

Kool-Aid Playdough

½ cup salt

2 cups water

Saucepan

Food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid for color

2 tablespoons salad oil

2 cups sifted flour

2 tablespoons alum (available at your grocery or drugstore)

Boil salt in water in a saucepan until the salt dissolves.
Remove from heat and tint with food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid.
Add salad oil, flour, and alum.
Knead or process until smooth.
This dough will last two months or longer.

Use the following recipes to produce clay that can be rolled or shaped into ornaments.
The drying methods vary, either overnight or in the oven.
When hard, ornaments can be painted and preserved with acrylic.

Baker’s Clay

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 teaspoon powdered alum

1½ cups water

Food coloring (optional)

Large bowl

Cookie sheet

Cookie cutters (optional)

Plastic straw (optional)

Fine wire (optional)

Fine sandpaper

Plastic-based poster paint, acrylic paint, or markers

Clear shellac, acrylic spray, or clear nail polish

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
If the dough is too dry, work in another tablespoon of water with your hands.
Dough can be colored by dividing it into several parts and kneading a drop or two of food coloring into each part.
Roll or mold as desired.

To roll:
Roll dough one-eighth-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
Cut with cookie cutters dipped in flour.
Make a hole in the top, quarter-inch down, for hanging, by using the end of a plastic straw dipped in flour.
Shake the dots of clay from the straw and press onto the dough shape as decorations.

To mold:
Shape dough no more than half-inch thick into figures, such as flowers, fruits, animals, and so on.
Insert a fine wire in each for hanging.

Bake ornaments on an ungreased cookie sheet for about thirty minutes in a 250 degree oven.
Turn and bake another one and a half hours until hard and dry.
Remove and cool, then sand lightly with fine sandpaper until smooth.
Paint both sides with plastic-based poster paint, acrylic paint, or markers.
Allow paint to dry and seal with clear shellac, acrylic spray, or clear nail polish.