Check out this letter from Librarian Kate! This week she is writing about a squishy soap dough recipe she tried with her family!
As social distancing began and intensified throughout the US, it seems like options for learning and entertainment at home have exploded on social media, in email, and through any other contacts I have with the outside world. I will never catch up with all the options for free shows, virtual tours, adorable animals, and hands-on science demonstrations, much less provide a perfectly-curated assortment for my children. On the other hand, the lists don’t need to be a bingo card or a bucket list. The myriad choices simply mean there are selections available for all types of interests. At this point, I am comfortable that the next time I have a need for diversion or education, I can use a search engine to find several options. In the meantime, if something particularly catches my eye, we can explore further.
This week at my house, a combination of elementary-age children with a love for recipes, craft dough and kinetic sand led to trying a recipe for “squishy soap dough.”
We happened to have plenty of corn starch and Castile soap around the house, and the kids were excited to help with the measuring and mixing.
It’s a simple recipe, assembles quickly, and results in a hand-pleasing dough that lathers as they play and scrub their hands with a pinch of it in the water.
After sitting overnight in an airtight container, the dough was a little more sticky. Hopefully that will simply encourage more scrubbing and longer rinsing to get it off. If it continues to get stickier, I am confident my kids will enjoy mixing in a little bit more corn starch. The couple drops of blue food coloring we added also makes it easy to see if more work is needed to finish the washing process. Having never managed to hear a single version of “Happy Birthday” while anyone washes hands, I’m hoping this may get my household a little closer to the 20-second mark that seems like an eternity to almost everyone, but particularly for a younger crowd.
Find this recipe for “squishy soap dough” on Tinkercast, Craft: Squishy Soap Dough for Happy Clean Hands.
Happy hand washing and be well!
-Kate