Recipes for Tactile Activities

Finger Paints The following recipes are for finger paint bases. Food coloring or tempera paint (powder or liquid) must be added. Oilcloth, waxed paper, or aluminum foil make excellent surfaces on which children may finger paint. Finger paints (colored and uncolored) should be stored in airtight plastic or glass containers in the refrigerator. Finger Paint I (Laundry Starch) 1 cup laundry starch 1 cup cold water 4 cup boiling water 1 cup Ivory Snow soap flakes cup talcum powder Mix the starch with the cold water, and slowly add the boiling water. Cook over low heat until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the soap flakes and talcum powder. Beat with an egg beater until smooth. Finger Paint II (Cornstarch) 1 cup corn starch 2 quart water cup Ivory Snow soap flakes A few drops of glycerine or oil of wintergreen Add the water to the cornstarch. Cook over low heat until clear, then remove from heat and add the soap flakes and glycerine or oil of wintergreen. Finger Paint III (Flour) 1 cup flour 1 cup could water 3 cups boiling water 1 tbsp. alum Mix the flour with the cold water, and then add the boiling water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and then add the alum. Finger Paint IV (Wheat or Wallpaper Paste) 1 cup wheat or wallpaper paste warm water to reach desired consistency Gradually stir the warm water into the paste until the mixture reaches the desired consistency

Coffee-ground Dough 2 cups coffee grounds 1 cups cornmeal cup salt water Mix the ground, cornmeal, and salt together, adding enough water to make a pliable dough. Sawdust Modeling Mixture 1 cup sawdust cup wallpaper paste water Mix the sawdust and wallpaper paste together, adding enough water to make a soft, puttylike mixture. Other Touchables Goop cup glue cup liquid starch Mix and enjoy Flubber/Gak Boraxo Soap (powder) Water Elmers or other white glue Take 1 teaspoon Boraxo Soap powder and put it in a 1/3 measuring cup and fill it with water. Mix equal parts of while glue and water in a bowl. Add food coloring, if desired. Take the Boraxo and water mixture and pour it into the glue mixture. Mix it well with your hands until it forms a lump (some of the glue wont stick). Put the lump in another container. Repeat this procedure several times until all the glue mixture is gone. Store the flubber/gake in a covered container. It will last at least a month, even longer if refrigerated

Pud Cornstarch Water Slowly add enough water to wet the cornstarch and stir. Experiment with the amount of water you add as it changes the texture. Be careful not to add too much. Let children take a handful and squeeze it and reopen their hands. Watch what happens. Modeling Compounds Each compound can be colored by kneading in food coloring or tempera paint. Several drops of oil of cloves or oil of wintergreen will serve as a preservative. Store all compounds in the refrigerator in airtight containers. Simply Clay 3 cups flour cup salt 1 cup water 1 tbsp. oil Mixing the flour and salt. Add more water if the mixture is too stiff, and add more flour if the mixture is too sticky. Alum may be added as a preservative but is not essential in a cool climate Cooked Clay 4 cups flour 8 Tbsp. cream of tartar 2 cups salt cup oil 4 cups water Mix all ingredients together and cook over low heat. Remove from heat when mixture forms a ball, approximately 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool. Knead the dough until all the ingredients are blended. Bakers Clay 4 cups flour 1 cup salt 1 cups cold water Mix al ingredients together. Knead for 4-6 minutes. Let the children form the dough into objects or shapes, then bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour or until hard. Finished products can be painted and shellacked.

Salt Dough 4 cups salt 1 cup cornstarch water Mix the salt and cornstarch with enough water to form a paste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Because of its high salt content, this dough will not get moldy. Coffee grounds, sand, and cornmeal can be added to provide texture and variety. Mud 1 baby bathtub, plastic tub, or pan dirt water Mix some water in with the dirt in a pan or outdoors in the dirt. Let children play freely, exploring the texture with their hands and feet. Have children describe the sensation when the mud squeezes between their toes. Whipped Soap Ivory Snow Soap Flakes Water Rotary Eggbeater Beat the soap with the water until it becomes stiff. Se this mixture as you would finger paint. Coffee grounds may be added to vary the texture of the whipped soap. Shaving Cream 1 can shaving cream dry tempera paint heavyweight paper or an old plastic tablecloth A child shakes the can of shaving cream and spray s it on the paper. The child can then add one or more colors of dry tempera paint to the shaving cream and blend it with the fingers.