As the last week of February tilted towards March, the weather couldn't decide if it wanted to still be winter or start on spring. Rain/dry, clouds/sun, warmth/chill, still/blustery -- we had it all.
On the warmer days, we rediscovered the pleasures of puddles and sticks and wee boats. It was still cool enough that it wasn't fun to get soaking wet, but Eli's boots and waterproof pants saved the day! (Click HERE for a post about Discovery Pants. Suddenly cold, wet days or soggy playgrounds are not a problem!)
But there were days so cold, windy, and cloudy that the squishy ground simply lost its appeal. We sought to be cozy inside yet bring some spring with us.
We got to talking about the flowers that are blooming from bulbs right now but also things soon sprouting from roots and seeds. When Eli asked if the bagged beans we were having for supper would sprout if we planted them, I realized I didn't know. So we set up an experiment I once saw at an elementary school. Fertile beans placed in a transparent baggy with a damp paper towel and taped to the window will sprout. If ours sprout, we'll know grocery store dry beans are still fertile and Eli will be able to see progress of both root and shoot. If we don't have luck, we can go to the store for garden seeds instead. (UPDATE: Our beans sprouted just fine! We just had to move them to soil after a few days so the wet paper towel wouldn't mildew.)
We dumped a big bag of dried mixed beans in Eli's sensory bin too. On a long indoor afternoon, it is fun to scoop and pour, sort and count, and do lots of pretend cooking.
Last but not least, we cooked up some indoor mud.
That's homemade play dough, of course. We used that beloved cooked recipe that seems to float around the web. (Sorry I can't give the creator credit, but it is posted so many places that it is impossible to know where it came from.)
Homemade Play Dough
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup salt
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 ½ cups water
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Food coloring
Put flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan (2 quart size). Place liquid ingredients in a measuring cup then pour into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (especially on the bottom) until it thickens – about five minutes. Turn dough onto a cutting board or counter, allow to cool slightly, and then knead for a few minutes. Knead in sprinklings of flour if it's too sticky. Store in airtight container. Lasts for two or three months.
We skipped the food coloring and added two heaping tablespoons of unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder (Hershey's Special Dark) instead. It smells good enough to eat! It is pleasingly smooth rather than sticky and gritty, yet still makes good play mud. We even "planted" a few sensory bin beans in it.
What do you do on chilly spring days that keep you inside?
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