Paint/Glue Dabbers

How do you paint on Sunday?! Easy, use these:

I LOVE these paint dabbers from Crafty Dab. The colors are bright; they dry very quickly; they are super washable; they are sooo neat and clean that you can paint at church in your sunday clothes with NO mess. Gotta love them!

They are available at Michael's (among other places...)

You can check them out here:
http://www.daboink.com/craftydab/about_us.php

...and have a tub of baby wipes handy for a quick clean up!

They also make glue dabbers. I have tried them out with my children and find them to be as wonderful at the paint dabbers. Neat, clean and easy to apply. However, this glue is good only for paper to paper. If you are gluing on something heavier (like yarn or googly eyes) or attaching things that need to take some wear (like paper around a toilet roll to make a "puppet" toy), stick with trusty white glue. If the lid is left off by accident, you can simply rinse the dabber under warm water and ta-da - back in business! Who could ask for anything more?

Playdough... in church! Really?

Sure - even with carpet!

Commercial playdough is loaded with strong dyes that can stain carpet and clothing. Replaceing the playdough every few months really adds up and a few tiny pieces on the floor are visible from a mile away and stick like glue.

I like home-made playdough because:

• it doesn't stain
• it's super washable off fancy sunday outfits
• it sweeps or vacuums up easily
• it's non-toxic and edible (although it tastes yucky)

Here is my favorite recipe:

Measure 2 c boiling water and pour in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 c salt until it's dissolved. Add 2 pkgs Kool-Aid* drink powder, 3 tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tbsp alum. Stir until combined. Then, adding 1/2 c flour at a time, add 2-3 cup flour to the hot water. Stir until the mixture forms a smooth ball of dough. You will need to get your hands in there at the end. Kneed the warm dough to smooth out any remaining lumps. Store in a sealed container. Refridgeration is NOT neccessary. Playdough will last 2-5 months depending upon how heavily it's used.

* it's got to be Kool-Aid! Cheap drink powders make crumbly playdough that dries out too easily.

Playdough Rules: keep it simple. Here are the rules that work for me. Repeat them to the children each time you bring out the playdough. Remember kids,

1) playdough stays ON the table 2) playdough is NOT a snack!