Mmm, Play Clay Cookies

Inspired by Robert Munsch and April Fool's Day, the DD made play clay this morning, according to the recipe in Mmm, Cookies! The clay turned out really well. The recipe is simple:

Bring 1/2 c salt and 1 1/2 c water to a boil. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tsbp alum (we substituted cream of tartar), 2 tsp food coloring and at least 2 c flour. Knead and store in airtight containers.

We modified the steps a bit. We removed the water from heat as soon as it began to boil and we didn't need 2 c of flour. We probably used 1 1/2 c. Also, we kneaded the dough and then added food coloring. It took a bit more time to work the food coloring in, but we were able to make 4 different colored batches instead of one large unicolored batch. The vegetable oil makes the dough very easy to work with.

She happily played with the dough for about an hour, cutting out shapes and making her own designs. Her master plan included offering a cookie to Daddy and watching him discover that it's not really a cookie. I advised her not to let Dad actually eat the cookie. Book parents are much cooler and more relaxed than real parents, no?

She got so much enjoyment from such a simple thing and it was such a good reminder for me. Lately, I've been in stickler mode; I suppose in preparation for the coming school year. Next year we will be more structured with our school work, and I'm mentally preparing myself. This year, we've accomplished alot, but we've also had the flexibility to be as social as we want. Next year, my goal is to reserve four mornings a week for our school work and devote one day per week to errands, morning or daylong field trips, etc. But today I welcomed the opportunity to embrace kindergarten homeschool and spontaneous fun with play clay.