Cheap and Cheerful Craft Recipes (Recipe For Homemade Play Dough)

Member Name: cookie334

Product:	Recipe For Homemade Play Dough
Date:	12/11/08 (370 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy, quick, cheap, fun for kids and adults alike, good old quality family time

Disadvantages: Nothing, but the aftermath ;)

Cheap and Cheerful Craft Recipes for the Kids

The credit crunch has got everyone feeling the pinch a little at the moment, so in these hard times, we're all looking for ways to cut back our spending. Following on from my cheap recipes for eating last week, I thought I'd give some cheap and cheerful recipes for having craft fun with the kids - on a budget!

If you do baking you'll be able to find most of these ingredients lurking in a kitchen cupboard. If you don't, then the cheapest of the cheap products will do just fine.

These recipes are not only cheap and easy but contain no chemicals or other nasties, so if little children (or indeed big ones) happen to put them in their mouths, there's no danger. The only one you might have to watch out for is the dough recipe as it does contain salt, but as long as the kids are not sitting munching on it, they should be fine.


PAINT
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All you need for this, is a tin of condensed milk and some food colouring. This really requires no effort what-so-ever. Just split the condensed milk into seperate cups, bowls or whatever you put your paint into and add a few drops of food colouring to each one.

This recipe makes really glossy, brightly coloured paints which are fab for young kids.

If put in an airtight container this will last for at least a month or two.


PLAY DOUGH
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What you need:
a cup of cold water
a cup of salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 tblsp corn flour
food colouring

Mix water, salt, oil and a few drops of colouring until you have a nice, bright colour. Gradually add the flour and corn flour until it is a good consistency.

This makes a great dough for kids to play with. It can get a little bit sticky, but if this happens just sprinkle with a little more flour.

If kept in an air tight container, this dough will last for a few weeks.


PAPIER-MACHE PASTE
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What you will need:
a cup of cold water
quarter cup of flour
5 cups boiling water

Mix flour into the cold water until thin and runny. Stir into the boiling water. Gently boil and stir for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool before using.

Papier-mache is a great craft for kids of all ages. At this time of year, we like to papier-mache over balloons and make christmas puddings and snowmen. I guess you could do a Santa as well. You just tie the balloons together until you get the right sort of shape. You can then use the paint recipe to paint the shapes when you're done.


SPARKLES
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All you need for this is caster sugar and food colouring. Another easy peasy recipe - just add a drop of 2 of colouring to the sugar, allow to dry and there you have it, nice shimmery sparkles. They're not as sparkly as glitter but kids love it! Minen particularly like licking their finger, dipping it in and tasting it. Obviously as this is pure sugar, I recommend that if you allow them to do this it's just once or twice..



I recommend using natural food colourings if you think your kids will be consuming any of this. The clean up after these things is bad enough without having a toddler bouncing off of the walls to contend with too!

There you go! While you're stuck in the house with the kids during these hard times, why not make the most of it and have some good quality family fun.

Summary: These will amuse kids for hours and will not cost a fortune to make/do.