Before I was ‘Money Saving Queen,’ I was a preschool teacher. I have a degree in Biblical Studies and when I graduated, I decided to go into Children’s Ministry. With very limited resources, we had to be frugal about our art activities. I quickly learned how to use ordinary objects and turn them into fun activities.
Shaving Cream: Pick up a bottle of the .97 Colgate shaving cream at Walmart, spray it out on a cookie sheet, grab some cars (or barbies) and have fun! Want to make Shaving Cream Paint? All you have to do is add a little glue to the shaving cream (food coloring too for color), let the kids paint and it will dry stiff.
Cheap Sensory Fun: Fill any size baking dish with rice or beans and let your kiddos drive cars through them, use cups and spoons to play in it as well. This is a great sensory experience for the kids and it’s lots of fun! (Watch out for small kiddos though as the beans/rice could pose a choking hazard).
Homemade Playdough: This is also fun and easy, plus you can store it in the fridge to make for a longer shelf life.
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
Food coloring
Saucepan
1 cup flour
Directions
- Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.
- Remove from heat and add flour.
- Stir, then knead until smooth (let it cool a bit). The cream of tarter will make this last so be sure to use it.
- Store this dough in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag. I like to keep mine in the fridge although it’s not required to do so.
