Egg Dye

• 1/4 tsp. food coloring
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1 tbsp. vinegar

Measure liquids into a bowl. Separate into small bowls. Add food coloring to each mixture. Soak hard boiled eggs in dye.

Great Goop

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• Food coloring

Boil water in saucepan - add cornstarch stirring until smooth. Add food coloring and stir. Remove from heat and cool. Child can play with the goop on any plastic covered surface.

Whipped Snow

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup pure laundry soap or flakes
• Electric mixer

Put water and soap in large bowl and beat with mixer until very fluffy. Add food coloring if desired. This can be molded into shapes and left to dry.

Homemade Silly Putty

• 2 parts white glue
• 1 part liquid starch

Mix ingredients and let dry until workable. Add more glue or starch if necessary. May not work on humid days. Store in airtight container.

Another Silly Putty

This is really kind of a tricky recipe because it's like making bread. You gotta make it a few times to get just the right texture. Also, cheaper brands of glue may not work as well because they have too much water in them.

Combine approximately 2 parts glue to 1 part liquid starch. Stir it up and it will stick to whatever you're stirring it with. If the mixture sticks to your fingers, add more liquid starch. If it won't stick to itself, add more glue. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. If you want the mixture to get tougher and thicker, let it dry out a bit in the air. If you get it just right (and I rarely do,) it will pick up newsprint like the store bought stuff.

Silly putty is lots of fun to cut with scissors. Also use some playdough toys with it, or ice cube trays, muffin tins, plastic strawberry baskets, etc. Caution: This often sticks to clothes, hair, furniture. Wear a smock and play with this stuff in uncarpeted areas! If you get it on fabric, use vinegar to get it out. Submitted by Jane Billman

Blubber

Again, watch out for cheap glue that has too much water in it.

Mix 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup glue In a separate container, mix 1/2 cup water with 2 T Borax (You'll find this hidden away in a tiny recess of your detergent aisle) Now, while stirring the Borax mixture constantly, add the glue mixture. It should immediately glump up and look like blubber (Or at least what we imagine blubber to look like.) If it isn't really glumpy and tough, mix up more Borax mixture and add that to it. Use the same toys as with silly putty. This does not stick to things as much as silly putty. Submitted by Jane Billman

Ooblik

This one sounds dumb, but your kids will like it.

In a large pan with sides or on a tray with sides, pour in a bunch of cornstarch. Add a little bit of water. Let the kids mix it up with their fingers. If it's too stiff to mix, add more water until it's just a little bit stiff. Add toys like funnels, measuring cups, wooden spoons, spatulas, or be creative! To save this mixture, let it dry out completely, then put it in a plastic bag for another rainy day.