Some days, the thermometer never rises above -15 degrees. Or the torrential rain never takes a break. Or your toddler never stops refusing to put on weather-appropriate clothing. The only thing to do? Give up and stay inside. When my husband or I get stuck indoors with our girls all day, there are a few recipes we turn to to help keep things fun.
The first came from our Early Childhood Family Education class, and it’s the best homemade play dough I’ve found.
The Best Play Dough Ever
Combine in saucepan:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
Stir or whisk in:
1 cup water
1 tbsp oil
Food coloring (this will get darker as it cooks)
Cook over medium heat until set (it will look like mashed potatoes. Then add 1 tsp imitation vanilla. Knead it for a few minutes until it is cool enough to use. Store it in a plastic bag.
Another favorite is – of course – slime. The easiest recipe I’ve found actually came from food blog TheKitchn.com. It is billed as “without Borax” and uses contact saline solution instead. But because boric acid is an ingredient in contact solution, it isn’t really a big departure from the basic Borax recipe. It’s still important to wash hands afterwards.
Even more than play dough or slime, the rainy (or cold, or snowy) day recipes my three-year old loves best involve sugar and chocolate chips. We love making cookies together, and we’ve found that a good old Minnesota staple is the best for baking with a preschooler: BARS!
These blondies from Smitten Kitchen are so easy that my daughter can almost do all of the stirring and mixing herself – and it involves only one bowl. If you want to try to get in a little fiber and protein and are up for using a food processor, this recipe for Black Bean Brownies, was a huge hit in my house.
What are your go-to recipes for surviving a day indoors?
