Granola Bars

8 cups of dry ingredients (4-5 c oatmeal, then things like ceral, raisins, m n ms, dried fruit, chow mein noodles)
Place in a big bowl and stir.

In a pan, warm:

1 c light corn syrup
1 c sugar
1 c peanut butter

Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.  Press into a cookie sheet and let cool.  Cut into bars and enjoy.

Scones, or Fry Bread

2 T yeast
2 c warm water
4 T sugar


Let yeast mix and sit.

Add 2 t salt
2 T oil
4 c flour


Mix and knead.  Let rest.

Pull of chunks and roll into a ball.  Stretch out.  Fry in oil about 1 1/2 inches deep on medium-high to medium heat.

Eat with butter, honey and/or cinnamon sugar.

Cinnamon Ornaments

1 c applesauce
1 1/2 c cinnamon
1/3 c white elmer's glue

Mix to from a ball.  Roll out to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Make a hole in each with a straw for hanging.   Let dry for a couple of days.

Makes about 30 medium shapes.

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

6 T applesauce
10 T cinnamon (or 6 T cinnamon and 4 T flour)

optional: 1/4 t of each: allspice, cloves, ginger

Mix together to form a ball,  Dough should not be sticky or wet.  Add more cinnamon if needed.

Sprinkle cutting board with cinnamon.  Roll our dough to 1/2" thick.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Poke hole in each ornament with a drinking straw.  Then you can place a ribbon to hang through this hole.

Smooth the edges of each ornament.

Bake at 150 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Then turn off oven and leave in there 3 hours.

Once dry, decorate and hang.

If edges are jagged, you can use an Emory board to sand smooth.

Bathtub Finger Paint

1/3 c cornstarch
1 1/2 c water
3 T talcum powder
3 T liquid soap
food coloring

In medium saucepan, mix cornstarch and water.  Mix well.  Cook over medium heat until it boils and thickens, 6-8 minutes.

Remove from heat and add powder and soap.  Mix well.

Divide into separate bowls to add different colorings.

Paint in bathtub.  Could even write letters, numbers and do math facts.

Perfect Popcicles

1 package Kool-Aid, any flavor
1 small package jello to match above flavor
1 c sugar
2 c hot water
5 c cold water

Dissolve Kool-Aid and Jello and sugar in hot water.  Add the 5 c cold water. Put in molds or small cups with a stick and freeze.

Pearly Soda Clay

1 c baking soda
1/2 c cornstarch
3/4 c water
food coloring

In a pan, stir together baking soda and cornstarch.  Add the water and mix well.  Cook over low heat stirring occasionally about 7-10 minutes until it looks like mashed potatoes. Stir constantly the last few minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Knead and add more cornstarch as needed to make a workable clay.  Add food coloring as desired and knead in.

Edible Play Doh

1 c peanut butter
1 c dry milk
1/2 c honey

Mix and allow kids to play with and eat.  Roll into logs and put raisins or apple slices or nuts on if desired.

Monster Bubbles

6 c water
2 c Joy dish soap
3/4 c karo syrup

Mix and let sit for 4 hours.  Use large dish and a ring for huge bubbles

Oobleck

1 t borax
1 c hot water
1 c cold water
1 c white glue (Elmer's)
Food coloring if desired

Dissolve Borax in 1 c hot water

Mix glue and cold water and food coloring.

Pour Borax mixture into glue mixture, stir and work together with hands.  Drain off any extra liquid.

Store in a Ziploc bag or sealed container.

This is great stuff--a Polymer.

Finger Paints

1 T cornstarch
1/2 c cold water

Mix and cook over medium low heat until thick.  Separate and color as desired.  Dob on paper and let cool a bit.  Then paint.

I also really like wallpaper paste and water with food coloring as a finger paint.

Playdough

This is the recipe my mom used for "Over the Rainbow Preschool" in the 1980s.

2 cups flour
2 c water
1 c salt
1/2 c cornstarch
1 T alum
1 T oil

Mix all together.  Cook and stir over meduim hear until it begins to thicken and hold together.  It looks lumpy, but kneads out smooth.

Remove from head and knead until smooth.  Seperate and add food coloring to each section--kenading well.

Store in sealed bag or container for 2 months or so in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Seeds

Separate the seeds from the fiber.

Combine:

1 cup unwashed seeds
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T butter
1/2 t salt

Spread in shallow baking pan and bake for 2 hours at 250 until the seeds are crispy and golden.  Stir every 15 minutes or so.