The cold and windy weather of winter has us all missing the warmer days of September and October when we were wandering the twists and turns of the maze. Ashley, one of our office staff, and her son were feeling the same way, so they started looking for fun activities on the internet. They stumbled across an idea for making their own maze out of playdough, and decided that it would be a fun thing to do! After designing their maze, Carson dug out his Super Heroes, and they commenced a battle which had the “bad guys” on the wall, and the “good guys” finding their way through the maze to defeat them!
Carson with his maze
The bad guys hide out!
If you would like to go one step further and make your own playdough, we are sharing a recipe of unknown origin that made the rounds of many Madison area daycares and pre-schools on the 1990s! The drink mix gives it vivid colors and a great smell! This recipe should be made by an adult as it involves working with boiling water!
Kool-Aid Playdough
2 ½ cups of Flour
½ cup of Salt
1 tablespoon of Alum (found in the spice aisle)
2 packages of unsweetened Kool-Aid
3 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
2 cups of Boiling Water
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a heavy spoon (a non-reactive, plastic, or glass bowl is best, as I pitted a metal mixing bowl making this recipe!). When it cools, have your child help to complete the mixing by working the dough with their hands! If the dough is too sticky, add an extra ½ to 1 cup of flour. The dough keeps well for a long time when sealed in plastic baggies!
If you have other a-maze-ing ideas, please share them with us! Perhaps a maze out of legos, or pillows, or even snow is in your creative realm!
To see the idea that inspired Ashley and her son, go to
https://squashedtomatoes.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/a-play-dough-maze/
