Monday, June 8, 2009

Summer Odds 'n' Ends

Hello to all our Hand in Hand Friends,
I'm just up-dating my blog a bit and have added some new elements that you might be interested in. There are some links to try on the left side of the page.
  • My favorite is the Moveable Alphabet. This is from a Montessori teacher in Boston who has tons of great arts and crafts ideas that you could try at home.
  • My daughter's blog, The Full Cup, is also full of things to do with children.
  • Sew Liberated is also by a Montessori teacher. She has a photo tour of her new baby's room, Montessori-style. Scroll down the post titled, "Finnian's Montessori Room".
Printing the Photos on this Blog
If you want to print any of the photos found on this blog, just right click or, for Macs, press control and click, and you will get a pop-up menu that allows you to choose to copy the photo. I then paste it into Word or my photo application for later printing.

One last tidbit for summer rainy day fun. You probably already know how to make play dough, but just in case you need it, here is our very favorite play dough recipe.

Home Made Play Dough

Basic ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (for improved elasticity)

food coloring (liquid, powder, or unflavored drink mix)
scented oils (I used beet juice to give a great pink color and anise flavoring for scent.)

Mix all ingredients except scented oils in a heavy pot. Heat and stir until the dough starts to come away from the side of the pot. Turn dough out onto a flat surface and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, knead until smooth. Store in airtight container. It keeps a long time.