There is nothing quite like soft homemade playdough hot off the stove! Mixing up a rainbow of playdough colors will instantly bring out the curiosity and imagination in your kids. Everyone needs a good recipe on hand so you can mix up some fun on a dark winter day. While visiting my sister in Florida, she cooked up some fresh playdough to remedy a bored child. Her recipe was the same one she got from her elementary teacher in the first grade. This vintage recipe was even created on a typewriter. A classic pastime needs a classic recipe from the past. This dough is easy to whip up and is super soft.
Click here for a free printable pdf.

Add a little more fun with my Brick Challenge: Playdough Mats download.

HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH

In a medium saucepan  combine:
     1 cup flour
      1/2 cup salt  
     2 tsp. cream of tartar

Stir in: 
     1 cup cold water
     1 TBL. vegetable oil
     food coloring (if desired) - about 10 drops

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will thicken quickly. When a ball forms, pan bottom is dry and all moisture is absorbed, turn dough out onto lightly floured board. Knead until smooth - add more flour if needed.
Store in covered container. Will keep for 3 months in refrigerator.

Does your teenager know how to sign their name? I have been in a few situations with my older kids where they were asked to sign their name on a document. They turned to me with a puzzled look and asked "do I just write my name?" These awkward moments sparked a desire to make sure that the rest of my children knew how to sign their name so we could avoid another fiddly moment of watching them print their name on the signature line.

A signature is an important part of your identity. Taking the time to develop your signature at a young age will be highly beneficial. In this downloadable lesson plan your student will learn about the purpose of a signature, practice developing it, look at some historical signatures, learn about the parts of a check and practice writing and signing them. Grades 4-12

Learn about the history of writing with this easy-lapbooking curriculum. Students will enjoy traveling through history as they gain knowledge about clay tablets, hieroglyphics, Roman wax tablets, illuminated manuscripts, wax seals, 18th century writing, the invention of the printing press, and how we got our alphabet. All the text is included.
This workbook uses a lapbooking method for the writing portion. Traditionally, lapbooks are made from file folders that are glued together, with this easy-lapbooking curriculum students simply glue the minibooks onto the designated pages in this book for a simplified approach. Inside you will find a variety of minibooks, flaps, pockets, and trifolds for a tactile and artistic approach to writing. 
Includes step-by-step directions and photo samples for 7 fun hands-on projects!
139 pages. Grades 4th - 12th.
Available in softcover and digital download PDF

Get your kids writing with these new downloadable resources. These downloads are a perfect supplement to change things up for a few lessons. You can give your student a print handwriting tune-up or practice perfecting their print with a fingerprint writing art lesson.  Making their own handmade journal will inspire them to do some personal journaling or use it for notebooking about a topic of their choice.

• Penmanship Tune-Up: Print Handwriting Worksheet Download
• Art Lesson: Handmade Journal & The Coptic Stitch
• Fingerprint Writing