Babysitting the two grand kids over Christmas break. What fun!

So what does grampa do when babysitting his 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old granddaughter's for the day?

Well, how about play with the new playdough kit, bake cookies, make some new playdough from scratch, and end the day making gingerbread houses. Yeah. That will be a good memory. And it will help keep them critters busy.

What is it about playdough that makes it so much fun to play with? It's easy to mold and shape, and it feels good. Reese, the youngest, loves the feel of it in her hands. Just watching her squeeze it, roll it, and pat it was fun. They both played with the playdough for a while, and when they were becoming restless, we played with a new dough that one can eat. Cookie dough!





Baking cookies doesn't exactly fall under the category of art, but it's somewhat like playing with playdough and you get to eat it. What more can a kid want? (I'm talking about myself here). The kids, as expected, thought it was so cool to help "bake" cookies. But I forgot to have them get on their aprons and hats first. Not to worry, we still have to make playdough and after lunch, make gingerbread houses. We'll get those hats and aprons on next.


Making playdough is fun. I used to make this stuff all the time when I taught kindergarten. I still have the recipe I used back then. While there are many recipies one can find on the net (and they are good ones) here's the one I use:

2 1/2 Cups of flour
1/2 Cup of salt
1 Tbl of powered alum
2 Cups of boiling water
3 Tbl cooking oil
Food Coloring

Combine dry ingredients, sifting alum or rubbing it smooth. Stir in water, oil, food coloring (1/2 the bottle for vivid color). Knead until smooth. Store airtight. Need NOT to refrigerate.


The girls picked their own colors, did most of the work, and really enjoyed the changing texture of the playdough.














A quick lunch, a nap for the 2 1/2 year old (Camryn says she's too old to take a nap. Wait till she gets old like Papa). The girls had never made these before and it was quite a treat to see all that candy and goodies that they were told not to eat. lol But I did tell them they could eat an occasional piece of candy, which they did with delight. To my surprise, even the youngest granddaughter caught on to spreading the frosting (the cement of the structure) and needed but a little help. Camryn was able to do most of the work on her own. In the end, they were master pieces.





















I love being a Papa (what they call me). We had a fun day and the girls stayed busy. And I earned a well deserved nap, which I took the very next day. First, a late sleep-in and then an afternoon snooze.