Peanut Butter Play Dough

If you've ever wanted to know anything about peanuts, from how and where they are grown, to their history, uses, or future prospects, then Charles Miccuci's The Life and Times of the Peanut, is the book for you. It's absolutely packed full of peanut facts, graphs, songs, and botanical diagrams.

So packed full in fact, that it might be a bit wordy for younger children. Though, older children should love it, and my younger girls were happy enough to listen along, glancing at the occasional picture, or map, while they played with, and snacked on, peanut butter play dough.

As a general rule, edible play dough brings out my squeamish side. I'm not sure why. We certainly do our share of crafty food projects, and edible art. Maybe it's the amount of handling involved with play dough. I don't really know.

But, this last week, as I researched peanut themed projects for the children, I came across so many recipes for the dough I finally broke down, and offered it to the younger girls, as a story time entertainment/snack (after their hands were thoroughly scrubbed with soap, and water).

I chose a recipe from Cooks.com, that calls for:

• 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
  
• 1 cup of instant, dry milk
  
• and 1/2 cup of honey.

After mixing the ingredients together, I divided the dough into small portions, and let the girls roll and knead it, until it was smooth, and play dough like. As far as play dough goes, it's an excellent recipe. The dough was smooth, and not sticky at all, and it smelled terrific.

My intention was for the girls to form their little lumps into some kind of a sculpture, and then they could eat their creations, as a snack. I gave them each a small supply of mini chocolate chips, raisins, sprinkles, and mini M&M's to decorate their sculptures with.

The problem came, when it was time to eat the snack. They loved their creations so much, they didn't want to eat them.

It was just as well though, because the dough, while being quite delicious, is very rich, and candy like. One batch made more than enough for all six children (and the Man of the House), to enjoy a portion from the "untouched" dough, leaving the artwork intact, to be wrapped in plastic, and placed safely into the fridge, for another day.

It's great to be a homeschooler.