Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Pigs in the Mud

I got so excited yesterday when I went into the attic and pulled out my "spring" and "farm" boxes! It was like Christmas all over again. I haven't looked in the boxes for a year and I had forgot what was inside!

One of my favorite centers is "Pigs in the Mud." I found these little piggies at the dollar store years ago. I make "mud" from my favorite play dough recipe that I got at a conference about eight years ago. I love to use my liquid watercolors to color my play dough because the colors can be so vibrant and beautiful. But you can use food coloring and it will do the trick just fine! (Look below for the recipe).





I loved watching Ethan play... he kept on pushing the pigs in the mud yelling, "Oh no! Ahhh!"
This recipe was given freely without copy right. The teacher believed that all should gain from her work... there are so many good ones!
Sauce Pan Play Dough
This play dough is quick and easy to make. It is smooth and requires no kneading. It makes a small quantity and may be doubled or tripled but it can be hard to stir.
1 Tbs. oil (I use baby oil)
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 tsp. alum
a few drops of food coloring
Process: Mix dry ingredients in a sauce pan. Add food coloring, water, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes (really!). As it is cooking the mixture will change from a milky color to a translucent color. Remove from heat. Let it cool for a minute. Roll to form a ball and release the heat. Store in a sealed container.


7 comments:

Patten Family said...

ok... Call me nuts, but what is the second to last ingredient?

Love the pigs in the mud : )

Jennifer Evans said...

Alum is found in the spices. It is used for pickling. In this case it is used as a preservative. This play dough lasts forever!

Rebecca Grinder said...

oK... I was going to aske the SAME question! What do you mean by "Roll to form a ball and release the heat" Can you tell I have never made my own play-dough?

Jennifer Evans said...

Ok, I guess it is just putting the dough on the counter and rolling it. It is too hot to put it into the container right away. It doesn't need kneading but I think that after taking it out of the pot, rolling it helps.

Anonymous said...

How long do you have to make the dough prior to play time?
Does it have to be stored for a while before it is cool enough for children?
I love the pictures of Ethan playing with the pigs and mud!
Sarah

Jennifer Evans said...

Just a few minutes - maybe five. If you keep rolling it, it cools down faster. Don't put it into a container until it is cool. I had this dough in a large ziplock for over a year and it is still good!

Jennifer Evans said...

Oh, and in the class they said you could make double, triple batches, and store the liquid in a clean milk container. Then when you are ready to color it, you could, and then you cook it. It stores for a long time since it has alum.