DOUGH CREATURES:

Dough recipe: Combine 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of warm water in a bowl. Mix the dough by hand. Add water as you go until you have a dough consistency. (@1/2 cup) It should not be too dry or too wet.

Roll dough out onto a foil lined cookie sheet (1/2" thick). Give your child some fun "creature" cookie cutters. Depending on your child's ability, they can add eyes, hair or imaginary stuff. Have child lick dough before adding a piece to the "creature". Bake in the 325 degrees oven for at least one hour (until hard). After they cool, let your child paint them with acrylic paint. Once they are dry, you should spray with a clear enamel gloss (found at craft stores). The spray will make them shiny and will make them last longer.

JUICE TOP CLACKERS:

Save the metal tops and bottoms from frozen juice containers. Clean thoroughly. Let your child decorate the sides with stickers. If your child is older, they can cut out things they like in a magazine and then glue them on either side. Once they are done, your child will enjoy shaking them in a box or a empty yogurt container with a cover. Stacking them up and pushing them over will be fun too. Even infants enjoy playing with the "clackers". You can turn it into a matching game by making many two-of-a-kind clackers.

MY SPECIAL BOOK

Purchase a journal or a notebook or make a book from plain white paper. Have your child find pictures that they like in magazines. Glue these pictures on a page. You can also put in pictures of Grandma, Grandpa, favorite friends, pets etc. This book is fun to make and will entertain in the car or at a restaurant. As the child gets older you can write the word under each picture as a learning tool.

MY FIRST NECKLACE

Use macaroni, beads, cereal or any other object with a hole and have your child string them on yarn or elastic string. You can even make dough ornament beads. Follow the above recipe, make your bead shapes and them put a hole in each one with a straw.

SPONGE FUN

Cut a sponge into small squares that will fit into a garlic press. Give your child a dish filled with a 1/4" of water, an empty dish, the sponges and a garlic press. Have your child put the sponges in the water. Then put the wet sponge in the garlic press and squeeze the water back into the dish. If you play this game in their highchair unexpected spills will be caught on the tray. After the sponge is squeezed out, your child can place it in the empty dish.