Castle on a Cloud

Last week I was tasked with writing about indoor activities for toddlers for a mothers of  multiples site I contribute to called How Do You Do It.  I spent a good deal of time racking my brain for activities that have been the most successful for entertaining Molly and Jack and some items that were on our "to do" activity list, but not yet tried and true.

Sunday was, as A.A. Milne would put it, a cold and blustery day.  Chris was at the ball game for most of the afternoon and I wanted to ensure that TV time didn't get out of control.  While the minions had their quiet time I surprised Molly and Jack by preparing some cloud dough so they could enjoy some indoor sandbox time, one of the items that's been on my "to do" activity list.

What is cloud dough anyway?  It's a sensory treat that feels like a lighter, fluffier, almost velvety version of sandbox sand.  I used the recipe I found on Happy Hooligans which mixes 8 cups of flour with one cup of baby oil.  You can mix it using your hands or a whisk and it's ready in about five minutes.

Next I went and grabbed a variety of beach and garden toys, diggers, straws, plastic utensils and cups  (anything that I could put in the dishwasher safely) and divided the sand into two large Tupperware containers.

 This was Molly's untouched cloud sandbox

And this was Jack's

When I presented the kids with the surprise they were both very excited and immediately dove in, making me sand cupcakes, cakes, candies and tea.  They happily played nearby while I managed to cut vegetables and complete all my prep work for a batch of soup (almost an hour).

Molly digging in

Jackie playing

Apparently this cloud dough should keep (we transferred it all to one sealed container during cleanup) for around a month.  There are other recipes that include adding powdered paint, sparkles or cocoa powder so it smells like chocolate available at Familylicious, although if you find yourself yelling something to the effect of, "Jack don't eat the dough!" every three minutes, you may want to avoid making it smell even more delicious.

As you can see this is a fun, but highly messy activity.  You may want to plan this before you sweep and mop your kitchen floor. 

To read about other indoor activities like stuffed animal hospital and the indoor toy wash click here.

To read about my infant/toddler heuristic treasure basket click here.

To get access to the newest posts from Multiple Momstrosity and more on Facebook click here and follow today!