Category: Summer Crafts

We love homemade play dough at our house and generally have several colors available in the art cupboard at any given time, but I’m always frustrated when it comes to making the colors vibrant and bright without having to add a ton of food coloring. Then I discovered the wonders of Kool-Aid. It should come as no surprise (remember when people dyed their hair with Kool-Aid?) that this ubiquitous summer drink would make an excellent colorant, and, as a bonus, it gives the dough a nice scent as well. Perfect for some escape the sun inside playtime this summer!

Things you’ll need:
1 cup flour + 1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 cup boiling water
2 packages of Kool-Aid

Things to do:
1. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour, Kool-Aid, salt and cream of tartar.

2. Pour in the boiling water and oil and mix until well combined.

3. Turn our onto a floured board and work in enough of the remaining flour to give you a smooth, elastic dough.

Now that summer is here, it’s all about sidewalk chalk in our neighborhood and along with the traditional stick, chalk paint has been a much hankered after art supply. But rather than buying chalk paint, we’ve been getting a little extra mileage out of this activity by making our own. *Hint, this is a perfect recipe for budding cooks to try! Super easy, very inexpensive and practically no fail!

Things you’ll need:
Corn starch
Food coloring
Water
Muffin tray

Things to do:
1. Put 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch in each section of the muffin tin and add enough water to make a thin paste.


2. Add a few drops of food coloring (this is a great time to experiment with color mixing!) and stir.

3. Paint away!