Hi Lovely!
It’s been a bit of a weird year hey? Regardless of whether you are homeschooling your kids and working from home, or whether it’s just a rainy day and you are all stuck inside, sometimes the kids can just go a little bit stir crazy. Here is a quick and easy hack to take their mind off what their little brother or sister did, how bored they are or why they are cranky.
You will need:
1.5 cups of boiling water
Food colouring of your choice
2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup of fine grain salt (I use table salt and whizz in the blender)
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon of biodegradable glitter
2 tablespoons of vegetable or liquid coconut oil
20-30 drops of a high quality essential oil (Lavender, Orange, Peppermint etc)
Boil the kettle, and measure out about 1.5 cups of water. Add some food colouring of your choice.
In a bowl, combine 2 cups of plain flour, ½ cup of fine grain salt, 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar and for a little extra fun, about ½ teaspoon of biodegradable glitter.
Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable or liquid coconut oil and then – here is the twist – about 20-30 drops of a high quality, therapeutic grade Lavender essential oil. If you can’t do Lavender, try another calming oil like Orange, Frankincense or Roman Chamomile, or to uplift and energise try Peppermint or Lemon. Remember that your kids will be playing with this and absorbing the oils into their skin, so make sure you ONLY use a high quality oil. (Not sure what that means or why it's important? You can download my FREE e-book "The 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Essential Oils" here: https://getoiling.com/NessaLovell/landing/the-6-mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-essential-oils).
Add the hot water a bit at a time and mix until you get a soft, smooth consistency – and VIOLÀ! Scented, sparkly playdough!
If you have a gluten free household - try making Cloud Dough instead! 2 heaped cups of cornflour mixed with 1 cup of a natural hair conditioner (with no nasties added). Add your oils as above, and mix together! If you want to add colouring, I'd mix it through the conditioner first, and add the glitter to the cornflour and stir before mixing with the conditioner.
Get the kids to help you make it, and then sit them down to play. Chances are, they will be happy and calm in no time – and the teenagers love it too! You might even want to keep a handful for yourself to calm you down during a stressful day at work.
I take no responsibility if you throw it at someone though. Enjoy!
Here is to living your best life – catch you next time!
Nessa xxx
