Materials

• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of water
• Cookie cutters
• Rolling pin or narrow bottle
• Food coloring (optional)

Directions

Put salt and flour in a deep unbreakable bowl. Drape your child in an old shirt or smock and allow him or her to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly with hands or a wooden spoon. Slowly add water to which some drops of food coloring have been added. Continue to mix, then knead dough until it is smooth and elastic without being sticky. Dump the dough onto a flat floured surface and roll it out with the rolling pin or bottle. Use cookie cutters to make shapes or provide child with other cutting and poking utensils such as plastic knives, bottle tops and lids, chopsticks, and assorted plastic shapes.

Source: Excerpted from 365 Days of Creative Play by Sheila Ellison & Judith Gray ( Sourcebooks, 1995)