Homemade Playdough

I got this recipe from Almost Unschoolers. I actually made the entire amount without color and divided it and colored it afterwards by adding the food coloring at the point where it gets kneaded, and it worked fine. That way I didn't have to cook each portion separately.

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tablespoons cream of tarter
2 cups of water
food coloring (paste or gel food coloring makes the most vivid colors, but liquid does a fine job as well)

Mix all the ingredients together, until smooth. Divide into portions, according the the number of colors desired. Add several drops of food coloring to each portion, and cook each separately, in a small pan, over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens, and becomes rubbery. Remove from heat, and knead until smooth. Store in an air tight container, or Ziploc bag.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

I have used this recipe for homemade laundry detergent and it works quite well. I find it's gloppy quality unpleasant, however, so I have tinkered with it to come up with one that doesn't solidify. This recipe is easy to make, so I find that making one gallon at a time easier. I cannot find liquid castile soap in my area, so I order it online. This laundry soap, despite the fact that it cleans very well, does not have any suds to it. The castile soap is not sudsy. Even though it does not get gloppy, a good shake before using makes sure that any undissolved powders get distributed equally. Some people insist that Washing Soda is the only thing to use for laundry soap. I have used Baking soda and Washing soda with equal success.

1 Gallon water
1 cup Baking Soda or Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
1 cup Liquid Castile Soap
An empty laundry detergent bottle that will hold about a gallon of liquid or some other suitable container

Heat the water, baking soda and borax in a large pot. Once the water gets warm enough for the powders to dissolve, take it off the stove and add the castile soap. You may add this directly to an empty laundry detergent bottle, or you may let it cool and then add it. You might want to use a funnel.
We use two detergent bottle caps full per large load.

Fingerpaint

Original Fingerpaint
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

In a medium pan, mix all the ingredients together to make the finger paint. Cook over low heat 10 to 15 minutes. Keep stirring the finger paint mixture until it is smooth and thick. After the finger paint has thickened take the pan off the stove and let the mixture cool.
After cooling, divide the finger paint into storage containers depending on how many colors you would like. Add a few drops of food coloring to each container. Stir the coloring in to the paint to determine the shade of color. You're ready to finger paint! Cover tightly when storing.



Cornstarch Fingerpaint
3 cups water
1 cup cornstarch
food coloring

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in a separate bowl with water. Remove boiling water from heat and add cornstarch mixture. Return to heat, stirring constantly. Boil until the mixture is clear and thick (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
As the mixture is cooling, divide into separate bowls and add food coloring. Let the children carefully mix in the coloring.
Add 1 tbsp of glycerin to make the mixture shiny. You can find glycerin in most drugstores or pharmacies.

These recipes are from here.

Oobleck

2 parts cornstarch to 1 part water
food coloring as desired


This is a wonderfully fun substance to play with. It acts like a solid when you add pressure and a liquid when you don't, but don't tell them that; let them discover it on their own! Ask them "When does this seem like a liquid? When does it seem like a solid?"
Older students may be interested in exploring Non-Newtonian fluids as a way of describing Ooblek. Adding the cornstarch to the water changed the reaction time of the liquid. Usually liquids move so quickly we do not notice how long it takes them to move. Oobleck has a finite reaction time. We can see how long it takes for it to react. We can make oobleck act like both a solid and a liquid. A liquid like this is called a non-Newtonian fluid because it does not follow the rules that Newton discovered most liquids follow. A non-Newtonian fluid has properties of both a solid and a liquid and reacts to stress with increased viscosity. Cornstarch (amylose) and water can be considered a colloidal suspension. A colloidal suspension is a two-phase system in which the starch and water are not dissolved but simply mixed into a permanent suspension that will not settle on standing.
For younger kids you can read them Bartholomew and the Ooblek by Dr. Seuss
You can let this dry out and put it in a baggie to reconstitute again later.

Spray for Dusting

Natural cleansers cost a lot and I have found them to not work that great. I found this recipe for from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I find that this works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones.


For wood surfaces.

3-5 ounces rubbing alcohol
@26 ounces water
essential oil(s) of choice
Put all in a spray bottle.

Scouring Powder

Natural cleansers cost a lot and I have found them to not work that great. I found this recipe from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I found that it works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones.

Will not deteriorate grout.

2 parts baking soda
1 part borax
few drops essential oil, your choice
The baking soda will absorb the fragrance over time, so it is better to make smaller batches. I put mine in a cheese shaker that has a plastic lid I bought at the grocery store.

All-Purpose Cleanser

Natural cleansers cost a lot and I have found them to not work that great. I found this recipe for natural cleanser from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I find that this works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones. The tricky ingredient is liquid castile soap, which can be bought easier in the cities, but not in the rural area I live. I bought mine on the 'net in large quantities to make the most of my shipping charges. "I make up one with a citrus scent for the kitchen and one with mint for the bathroom. Choice of scents are up to you!"

3 Tabs. lemon juice or white vinegar (The lemon juice smells better but leaves an unpleasant looking layer at the top of lemon pulp. You can put it in a non-see-through bottle, or you can use food coloring to color the cleaner, which makes this layer less obvious, but my daughter objects to the coloring as being unnatural. I suppose an all-natural food color?)
1 1/2 tea. borax
2 1/2-3 cups water
1/3 cup castile soap
essential oil(s) of choice.
a spray bottle, about 26 ounces

In a large measuring cup, put in borax and add hot water to dissolve the powder. Add the lemon juice or vinegar. Pour into the bottle. Add the castile soap and water. Shake well. Add essential oil.

Automatic Dishwasher Powder

I found this recipe from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I find that this works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones. The tricky ingredient is citric acid which can be bought easier in the cities, but not in the rural area I live. I bought mine on the 'net in large quantities to make the most of my shipping charges.

In a plastic container with a snug-fitting lid, mix:
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup citric acid
30 drops essential oil of your choice: (lemon, grapefruit, tangerine are really good choices)

Fill your compartments with the powder. You will need to rinse your dishes well before loading as it does not contain food disolving chemicals.

Laundry Soap

This recipe is adapted from the one here. Most homemade laundry soaps call for Washing Soda, which is not found around here, so I chose to use this one that does not use it. It is much cheaper than the detergents you find in the store, but more importantly to me, I know what is in it.





1 bar of soap, grated with a cheese grater. Fels-Naptha is good for stains, but I use whatever I have on hand. In the picture is Dial.
2 gallons of water
2 cups Borax
2 cups Baking Soda
Essential Oils; use Teatree Oil for its antibacterial qualities
A pot large enough to hold 2 gallons or the largest pot you have and a bucket that will hold 3 gallons
2 large empty laundry jugs; this is not necessary if your bucket has a lid.

I have a large soup pot I use for this. Use your largest pot and put in as much water as you can and comfortable stir, but make sure you measure it. I can put all 2 gallons of water in, so I do. If you can only put a quart in, that is fine. You will add the other 3 quarts later then. Put the grated soap in the pot. On medium heat, heat the water until all the soap has melted. It takes a little while. I usually do this while I am cleaning the kitchen in general, so it doesn't seem that long that way. Once the soap has melted, add your borax and baking soda and stir until dissolved. If you could not fit all 2 gallons in your pot, then you will need to transfer the soap mixture to a bucket and add whatever remaining water you need to in order to make the 2 gallons of water. This additional water can be cold. Add essential oils and stir. Using a funnel and a large measuring cup transfer the laundry soap to your jugs, or if you are keeping the laundry soap in the bucket, put a lid on it.

Use 1/2 cup per load or 1 cup for large or heavily stained loads. Stir or shake before pouring out as it tends to separate.