Friday, July 17, 2009

Kids Week: Edible Playdough and Finger Paint

Can you believe it's Friday already?? This week seems to have flown by. Like Kate mentioned on Monday, we had so much more we wanted to share with you but just didn't have the time. So we'll most definitely do a part II to Kid's week in the coming months. If you haven't entered the great giveaway that's going on currently, click here to do so! It ends tonight (Friday) so hurry!

Now onto the crafty fun. I love stuff like this. It's the kind of thing that every parent needs to have on brain-file so you can whip it out at a moment's notice when the kiddos need some quality fun time. The best part is that I can almost guarantee that you have all of these ingredients in your kitchen at this very moment. Both recipes are made with every day stuff from the kitchen so they're especially great for little ones who are still in the everything-in-mouth phase. (My oldest is 3 1/2 and he's still kind of in that phase!) I can also almost guarantee that the kids won't be the only ones eating the playdough. Don't say I didn't warn ya...


Peanut Butter Playdough

1 C creamy peanut butter
2 C powdered sugar
1/2 C honey

Directions: mix mix mix. I use my stand mixer to make it quick, clean and easy, but if you prefer to make it long, messy, and not-so-easy, let your kids mix it up by hand :)

A lot of PB playdough recipes you'll find include dry milk powder, but I really don't like the grainy texture it creates so I use straight powdered sugar. Plus, it tastes waaaay better.

This makes plenty for 2-3 kids to enjoy. Just give 'em rollers, cutters, molds, etc. and let them go to town! My son and his most favorite gal-pal had a blast with it.


My cupboards were a little bare when we made this batch, but one thing that's really fun is to give them things like pretzel sticks, graham crackers, cheerios, m&m's etc and let them build stuff and decorate it.


Be prepared to see a lot of lip smackin' going on because this stuff is goooood.


Like really good. Good as in I had to have my own pile of playdough which I hoarded and dreamt about dipping in chocolate. Hmmm....chocolate. I think I might have a party one day where adults play with peanut butter playdough and then turn it into fondue. Brilliant, right?? Anyway, next time you need something quick to entertain the kiddos, bust out the PB playdough!

Onto recipe numero dois:

Let me start by saying that calling this recipe "edible" is somewhat of a stretch. While it's totally healthy to consume it, you're probably not going to want to voluntarily shove it in your mouth like you will the PB playdough. But at least you know what's in it and it won't hurt a thing if your little ones start licking their fingers! Another great option for finger paint is adding a few drops of food-safe coloring to vanilla yogurt or pudding. Both are fun to play with and taste super yummy! We had a lot of fun with this one though.

Home Made Finger Paint

3 T sugar
1/2 C cornstarch 2 C cold water
food coloring

Mix sugar and cornstartch together in a sauce pan. Add cold water and combine with a whisk. Cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens to a thin pudding consistency. I recommend stopping the cooking process a little before it's the consistency you'd like because it thickens upon standing. Once removed from heat, COOL and then separate into bowls and color as desired.

Spread out big sheets of freezer paper or newsprint and let the kiddos go to town. Better yet, do it outside! A friend of mine told me she has her kids paint all over the shower walls. Makes a great canvas and when they're done she just washes it down. I thought that was brilliant!


This paint will be soft and smooth at first and over time it will start to thicken. Depending on your kids {ie: 3 1/2 year old boys} the thickened goop may be even more fun to play with than the original mixture!


Hope you enjoy some crafty kitchen fun today!
Click Here for Printable versions of both recipes

Check back soon for the giveaway winners and be back Monday for more posts. Thanks for making this theme week so much fun! The good news is that our next theme week {and awesome giveaway} is coming up in just a few short weeks!




Other posts from Kids Week:
Homemade Hot Pockets
Hand Tossed Ice Cream
Frozen Pudding Pops- updated with Strawberries & Cream recipe!

110 Click HERE to leave a comment:

*sunchips* said...

Sweet! :D
One more thing for my boys to lick off the table... :P
This is going to be so much fun!

Miriam said...

I am loving your blog this week! I totally discovered it at the right time! We had hot pockets for lunch and I'm totally going to give the kids finger paint before their shower tonight.

MommytoTommy said...

Wow... my 17 month old thanks you, lol!! I love this site! :D

The Amoah-Boadi Family said...

awesome! My two year old is going to enjoy this! thanks!

Ashley said...

I am excited to try the finger paint idea! Never heard that one before!

roxanne said...

Yummy. Edible projects are the best.

Krista said...

I loved PB playdough as a kid! Way to bring it back.

Pam said...

Peanut Butter Play-dough! That's so awesome! I need to make me some of that....Will I let my son play with it though or will it stay my little secret and snack...

melacan at hotmail dot com

Jessica Newman said...

I can't wait to try the finger paints! My kids will love it!

Sarah said...

Oh goodness! How much fun is that?

Joy said...

I can't wait to try the finger paint with my toddler!

Heather said...

It's almost like cookie dough, except without eggs! How fun!

Leigh said...

This would be great for the kiddos daycare teacher to know as well - Thanks!

Lisle H said...

Sounds fun. I've made PB Playdough, but haven't ever seen the finger paint. Gonna have to try that one!

Andrea said...

We love peanut butter playdough! I used to make that a lot when my son was younger. We havnen't tried the fingerpaints before. That looks fun!

Erin said...

My son just walked in the room and said, "That's peanut butter playdough!" I think I had better put creamy peanut butter on the grocery list for today so we can have some fun this afternoon!

Mary Kelly said...

Fun! Fun! Fun! We will have to give this a try next time we are stuck at home on a rainy day.

The Short Family said...

I just made the finger paints for my kids. They love them! They are nowhere near as messy as other finger paints!!

Sarah said...

Now I don't have to watch like a hawk when my son is playing with playdough. Thanks.

The Edwards Family said...

Thanks for the playdough recipe, my mom used to make that when I was a kid and I haven't had it since. I'll be making it today.

Sarah said...

Fun! Hoping to try the paint in Sunday School! Thanks again for such a fun week!

The Four Montgomery's said...

my kids are gonna LOVE these

betchacanteatjustone said...

Awesome! I've made the finger paint before...such an intersting texture, the kids loved it!

There's always room for Dessert! said...

what a fun week this has been! we have lots of stuff to with our daughter this weekend!!! love the peanut butter playdough!!!!!!
and she'll LOVE the finger pants!

Steph said...

Sounds like a day full of fun to me!

Crystal said...

I think I need some playdoh to eat. I love peanut butter.

rach said...

Wow, Edible PB Playdough. With this stuff we won't be picking playdough up off the floor all afternoon. Sweet!

Robin said...

I will use this in my classroom. Another great option to edible fingerpaint is vanilla/white chocolate pudding with food coloring in it. It is very delicious!

Katie said...

Cute idea especially since kids are always putting things in their mouths

Ruth said...

Love these ideas!! I've been looking for crafty things for my 2 1/2 year old and this is perfect! Thanks

Lindsay said...

My kids will think I'm the coolest mom ever when I get out this finger paint. Perfect Friday activity.

Ashli said...

My three year old twins will love these ideas!

lesley said...

that finger paint idea is great! Looks like a lot of fun.

amy and mighty max said...

great idea!

Jennifer said...

This looks like ooey, gooey, good tasting fun!!

The Nedrys said...

This is going to be so much fun with my little guy! I can't wait to give it a try...maybe this weekend! Thanks!

Sarah Lenhart said...

Edible playdough is such a great idea! Especially since this one is made out of peanut butter. :)

Sarah said...

I made PB playdough once on a rainy day and totally felt like supermom. It was so nice to have the kids playing happily and realtively mess-free. I should also try the finger paint idea. Thanks!

Kara said...

I'm excited about the finger paints! I had no idea that you could do that. I've made the play dough before and the kids loved it.

Rachel said...

These are awesome! I wish I had them a little while ago when I worked at a preschool. We had autistic children and a lot of them were on a gluten free, cassein free diet. With the powdered sugar instead of the dry milk, both of these would work for them. And the finger paint looks like a great sensory activity!!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Wish my mom would have made me some of that when I was younger! Yummy!!!

stephchows said...

mmmmm it's like a no bake PB cookie... yum! I'd play and eat that lol

Jenny said...

my kids would go nuts for the fingerpaint! thanks.

Emily said...

I've never even thought of edible play dough! That's so great and it looks so yummy.

Gentry said...

Looks like fun!

Guzmania said...

Fabulous ideas! The PB play dough looks mouthwatering!

Amie said...

I love the finger paint idea! It is so fun and a little less scary for those of us with 1 year olds that love to taste everything.

Kate W. said...

I love the food playdough. Where were you when I was growing up???

Riddle Girl said...

Quite honestly I may make the playdoh just as a snack for myself. Well ok, I will make some for the kids to play with too.

Annalee Kelly said...

Thanks for sharing that!

kim said...

Great ideas thanks! My kids are going to love it!

Cami said...

Love, Love, LOVE it! I'm going to make some right now! My kids are gonna love it as much as I do!

jjnhubbs said...

I know my kiddo would enjoy finger paint, but she's obsessed with putting everything she touches in her mouth...when do they grow out of that? It can't come soon enough! This safe version would be perfect for her!!

Emily said...

I love that playdough recipe!

MissouriMormonMama said...

Yum! I will have to try that with my children ( : We've never done a PB recipe without the powdered sugar, it sounds good!

Jenny said...

I think I might try the finger paint with my daughter because I KNOW it will go in her mouth right away!

Jenna said...

Great ideas! You can also make Jell-o Fingerpaint by mixing a package of dry Jell-o with boiling water until the consistency is right. They smell so good!

Michelle said...

My 2 year old is going to love those finger paints.

Michelle said...

GREAT ideas!!

Kelly said...

So creative!

kim said...

hmmm... this is cool, but i thought of when i was a kid, and my mom is such a neat freak, she'd never let us do this fun messy stuff. HAHA. love it.

April said...

Great stuff! My daughter is going to have so much fun with the finger paints. I wish we could do the play dough but she is allergic to peanuts. :( Thanks for the tips!

Sarah said...

Unfortunately, my kids have nut allergies so the "play dough" is out but we'll definitely try the finger paint!

RitzFamily said...

We love making play-doh at our house. We'll have to try out the finger paints.

Mommy's Kitchen said...

That is all so fun. I love doing crafts with the kiddos. i just expanded on my site to do Craft Kitchen at Mommys Kitchen. The play dough will be so fun for my kiddos. Just found your site.

Britney said...

My kids will love this too!!!!

Adrienne said...

I haven't made this stuff in forever. Thanks for the reminder...I may just get inspired and do something fun {and messy} with my kids! Yes..I might just be making the PB dough just so I can eat it...mom's can have ulterior motives, right?

John, Kara, Andrew and Grant said...

The PB play dough sounds yummy! I mean fun...

And I've never thought of doing the edible finger paint that way (I've just done it with pudding). Good idea!

Megan said...

I know what my kids are doing this afternoon!

Jon and Sarah said...

We can't wait to try this next week! So much fun.

Nicole said...

i cannot wait to give this one a try ;)

Lindsay said...

I'm really excited to see a PB playdough recipe w/o powdered milk. I don't often that stuff on hand. And the fingerpaints! I love making stuff in the kitchen with my kids but it's always some treat that I end up eating most of myself. So this is great stuff!

Stephenie said...

Love it! I've been wanting some type of play dough recipe that 21 month old boy could eat! Thanks for all your hard work, and sharing with all of us!

Katy said...

Cool -- I've never actually heard about PB play dough before!! Will definitely have to remember that one!

shayla said...

Hooray for good ideas to entertain the kids! Now...where did you get that pint-sized rolling pin??

Jimi said...

Loved this theme week! Maybe a Kids Week II in a few months?

Jenni said...

Awesome! My son will love these!

Stephanie said...

Oooh, I haven't made edible playdough in a long time. I made regular play dough last week, but this looks much more yummy AND fun! Thanks!

Jeff, Jenny and Pearl said...

My daughter and I get bored together a lot so these look like a fun way to kill at least an hour one afternoon!

Amanda said...

Who went and made you all geniuses? love it - and not nearly as messy looking (just enough though) as the commercial substitutes.

Teresa said...

mmm... going to do this

Melissa said...

What a great idea! Food for finger paint and playdough is awesome :o) Now when my son spills it, I can let him lick it off the table ;o)

Price Family Connection said...

This gives me courage to try something messy and *gasp* using food coloring. I like the PB cutout idea since gingerbread cookies are pretty labor-intensive and, c'mon, admit it, we moms don't ALWAYS want to make more work for ourselves. Thanks for showing us how it can be done!

*Jen* said...

cute!

Brower Family said...

Can't wait to try these! Thanks!

Brya said...

I love it, thanks!

Steph said...

Sweet! I've been wanting to make edible playdough. This recipe looks great!

Danny & Crystal said...

Edible playdough--that is awesome! And the fingerpaints are such a good idea too!

Rhonda said...

Ahh...peanut butter playdough is almost a staple in our house. I wonder what it'd look like to decorate it with the edible fingerpaint!?

Karli said...

My utterly bored children thank you profusely. :D

Heidi said...

I've been looking for some fun craft ideas for my kids to do. These look perfect and so fun!

MacD Kids said...

definitely doing this one! Powdered sugar and peanut butter...mmmmmm

Jenni said...

This looks like something fun to do with my nieces & nephew once they get older!

Holly DeVore said...

My three boys are going to LOVE this!!

Mallory Shindler said...

I just had to send this link to tons of mothers here, since its over 100 and they are probably in desperate need of something to do inside, thanks for the idea! I'm also hoping to get them addict to this site, I know I am!

Bargain Loving Mom said...

Love the edible playdough idea! Thanks!!

OREGON SOUTHWORTHS said...

Ok, I was a little hesitant (about the mess) when I first started looking at this post, but now I think my 2 year-old would really love it! Especially the finger paint... he's not too into playdough yet.
Thanks for a great week!
-Jennifer

Heidi said...

I can't wait to eat, wait I mean make the peanut butter playdough for my kids.

Ben and Angela said...

This looks super fun!

The Siple Family said...

I love the little chubby finger painting fingers! My favorite.

Christina said...

Soooo fun! We made this today and the girls loved it! They even pulled it out this evening for the babysitter. And I'm thinking that would make a great center for homemade PB cups? No????

Brookel said...

i've done the colored yogurt but never the pb play doh. very excited, this would be a good idea for a 2 or 3 year old party activity-snack included! :)

The Candid Cook said...

I love these ideas! I'm going to have to try the finger paints, for sure with my littlest one. I actually have a variation of the PB playdough using powdered milk and honey instead of sugar - you can check it out at:

candidcook.blogspot.com

It's still sweet from the honey and the powdered milk add extra nutrition as well as the "dry stuff" you need to make it playdough.

Katie said...

Yeah for kid's week!

Sara, you saved my summer!

Can't wait to try both these things.

You're the best!

Shannon said...

Cute models! I will have to try this. Maybe the cub scouts would enjoy making this, then again maybe not. I just had a scary thought of this flying through the church.

KentuckyGal said...

Entirely too cool...esp since I'm looking for the kids to do when I go out to Utah to help my mother go through her house and they are at home in Kentucky with DH for a week!

bear2009 said...

oh my goodness!!!!!!!! Thank you SO MUCH! I am 13 and I loved the peanut butter playdough! I am taking it to school and sharing it with my friends! it tastes amazing!

bear2009 said...
This post has been removed by the author.
Jill said...

This looks like a really great idea! My (almost) 3 year old niece and I played with Playdough on my last visit and she spent most of the time licking her fingers...so the idea of edible playdough sounds great. I think I will make it as part of her Christmas present this year. Has anyone tried adding a little food coloring to the PB Playdough? I was wondering if it would work with PB or not.

Sara @ Our Best Bites said...

Jill- I don't know about the food coloring. I would guess the brown color of the playdough would kind of ruin any attempts at pretty color, but if you try it out let us know!

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