Robot Snowmen...

 Here's a great snowy day project for Kid Scientists of all ages, based on this cornstarch clay recipe at Disney's Family Fun magazine online.

Ages: All ages of Kid Scientists can play with the clay and create snowmen robots.  Only Big Kids should cook the clay recipe, and only with supervision.

Materials:  2/3 cup salt, 1/3 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup cornstarch, found objects from around the house

Procedure:

• This is a good opportunity for Kid Scientists to practice measuring dry ingredients
• In a small saucepan, mix the salt and baking soda with 1/3 cup of water and bring to a boil

• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water mixing well

• Once the salt mixture has boiled, remove it from the heat and add the cornstarch mixture
• Stir to thicken the clay

• Remove the clay to a sheet of waxed paper and allow it to cool before working with it. 

• Create your snow men with the clay and accent with "found objects" to create a Robot Snowman



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• Set your Robot Snowmen in a safe place to dry.  This clay takes a couple of days to dry completely.

Fun Putty...

Here's a great, quick activity that will leave your Kid Scientists entertained all afternoon!

Ages: Big Kids can do this on their own but Little Kids may need help with measuring

Materials: Sta-Flo starch, Elmer's glue, food coloring, glass bowl, air tight container

Procedure:  Mix equal parts starch and glue in a bowl until you have a nice putty.  You may need to add drops of one or the other to achieve a nice mix.  Add food coloring to achieve the color you want.

The putty can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.

Glue Dough...

Here's another dough mixture...this one is really messy, but you can dry & keep your creations!

Ages: All ages of Kid Scientists can play with this dough, but it's probably best for the Big Kids to make

Materials:  

1/4 c. white glue

1/4 c. water

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. cornstarch

food color

Procedure:  

• Mix white glue, water and food coloring in a small bowl
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch
• Add the flour & cornstarch to the water & glue and mix really well.  The dough should be the consistency of bread dough.  You may need to add flour / cornstarch to thicken.
• Your creations can be set on a paper plate or cover a plate with wax paper and set in a safe place to dry

Extensions:  The Science Mommy doesn't always point out the opportunity, but mixtures like this one are great chances to practice measuring.  

 Many middle and high school students are unable to measure accurately, and it's this lack of skill that causes problems for older Kid Scientists.  Give your kids lots of practice! 

Fun Fruity Dough...

Here's another fun dough that will keep Little Kid Scientists busy all afternoon!

Ages:  All Kid Scientists can have fun with this mixture

Materials: 
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tbs cooking oil
1 cup water
1 package Kool-Aid

Procedure:

• Combine flour, salt, and Kool-Aid in a large bowl
• Stir in oil and water
• Stir until your mixture is the consistency of bread dough
• Knead on a floured surface until it's firm

This dough smells yummy, but make sure Very Little Kid Scientists don't eat it!
Dough can be stored in a plastic bag & refrigerated

Extensions for Big Kids:
- Big Kids can experiment with mixing different flavors of Kool-Aid to achieve different scents and colors
- With mixtures like this one, Big Kids can also explore the proportions in a recipe...What happens when you add too much flour or too much salt?  Can you use different types of oil?  Can you add sugar instead of Kool-Aid?  Will a different drink mix work the same way?  Will hot or cold water change the consistency of the dough?

Oatmeal Dough...

This is perfect for a rainy day, I'm bored moment.  Unleash your Kid Scientist's creativity.

Ages:  All ages of Kid Scientist will have fun with this one.  (Probably even Mom Scientists!)

Materials:   1 cup flour, 1 cup water, 2 cups oatmeal

Procedure:

• Combine the flour, water and oatmeal into a bowl
• Stir until the mixture is smooth.  Add flour if your dough is sticky.
• Use a lightly floured surface to play with your dough.
• This dough can be stored in an airtight container when you're done playing.

Add some Exploration:
This is another opportunity for your Kid Scientists to play with mixing colors.  Bring out that box of food colors and challenge them to create Orange, Purple and other mixed colors.