Play dough and cocktail sticks

You know we use play dough at lot in our house. I think it might just be the one play material we’d pick above all others. We’ve played with it week in week out for almost nine years! I’ve talked before about how much learning can be included in playdough play but the key thing to get the most from it is to mix things up a little. In my Let’s Play Dough e-book (which you can download for free, just click on the link) I’ve given you a list of 52 different materials to combine with your dough – so if you want, you can have a whole year’s worth of new play dough experiences. Take a look and see if there’s something there you’ve never used.

This week we’ve been mixing things up by adding cocktail sticks to our playdough. If you saw our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party you’ll know the cocktail sticks were intended to make an edible hedgehog – but B knows a great playdough idea when she sees one!

She wondered if the playdough would work as a ‘glue’ to hold the cocktail sticks together – and look what happened.

Triangles and squares began to appear – and lots of wondering and experimenting started happening. Could you make it bigger? Could  you mix different shapes together? Could you build up?

L was playing along to, and she discovered the cocktail sticks give your playdough extra strength, to build tall strong creatures…

and re-inforced homes for them to live in.

Mix up your play dough

Are you playing with play dough this week? What could you add in to give your children a different experience this time?

If you’ve already tried playdough with cocktail sticks maybe you could try twigs, straws, art , shells or candles?

happily shared with link and learn

All the invitations were little books, illustrated by B, with the story inside telling the tale of how all the guests were invited to a party. Everyone came dressed as a favourite book character – I was Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, although sadly no photos of that incarnation remain. I do have lots of photos of what we made and what we ate though, so here’s our round up of how we hosted a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

Apple juice was served in our fanciest tea pot and every guest had a weird and wonderful cup to drink from (sourced from family treasures and charity shops.)

We froze grape juice in gold fish ice cube trays and served them to guests with silver sugar tongs.

One fish or two?

Pudding was do-it-yourself. I used my favourite cake recipe and gingerbread recipe to make the cupcakes and cookies in advance and then the children all decorated their own: some to eat at the party and some to take home too.

As you can see, they are not of the less is more school of thought.

Like all the poshest parties, cucumber sandwiches were served, but with a Mad Hatter’s twist. (Thanks to Jackie for the inspiration)

Edible golden bracelets were served on a china platter.

Ever eaten a hedgehog? A potato skewered with sausages on sticks – or even something as exotic as cheese and pineapple! – was a classic dish at birthday parties when I was a kid, and my girls thought it was fun. (Do hedgehogs have whiskers? We couldn’t decide.)

A rainbow on a stick was a healthy dessert option and bursting with colour. You could add a yellow section too if you don’t forget to buy the pineapple. (ahem)

We never have a birthday party without jelly.  In a rabbit mould (see first  photo) or in a jar the stripes look fabulous.

This idea of putting individual portions of ice cream in silicone cupcake cases makes the easiest way to serve it – fun too. (Thanks for the idea Real Simple)

Homemade party bags were filled with book worms (thanks to Jessie for the idea)…

and Wonka chocolate bars, plus a note pad and pencil to write stories of their own.

Thank you so much to all of you who left lovely birthday wishes for B, she had a great Mad Hatter’s tea party.

Customised soup recipe

The great thing about this vegetable soup recipe is that there isn’t really a recipe at all- just suggestions for your children to help them create a signature dish of their own. Whatever combination of vegetables you choose, a ratio of around 10 veggies to 2 pints stock is a rough guide –  but have some extra stock ready just in case you need it. We went with 1 onion, 2 celery sticks, half a bulb of fennel, 3 carrots, 3 parsnips and 1 sweet potato, together with 2 pints of chicken stock. This made enough for two lunches for four.

Vegetable soup basic principles:

1. Fry some base vegetables in oil in a really big pan: onions, garlic, celery

2. Peel and chop some root vegetables and add them to your pan: potato, carrots, sweet potato, parsnips, swede and fennel are all good. We always add fennel as our secret ingredient as a little of it makes the soup delicious. Use a child-friendly peeler to make it easier and don’t worry too much about all the vegetables being chopped to the same size.

3. Add some herbs for extra flavour: take a pick from cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme, caraway, parsley or rosemary

4. Add chicken, turkey or vegetable stock to cover the vegetables and simmer away for around 20-30 minutes

5. Once the vegetables are soft you can blend the soup, adding more stock or water if you like to get the thickness you prefer

6. We love to serve our customised soup with Parmesan cheese and pine nut kernels on top. The soup freezes really well too

More kids in the kitchen ideas

:: do your kids know how to crack an egg?

:: ever made mini meringues?

:: ever eaten a snowman?

:: ever made edible snowflakes?