One of my absolute favorite places in the city is the Chicago Children’s Museum. We buy an annual membership, so we freely come and go as we please.  Its a great place to visit on a chilly afternoon when we feel like we have the whole place to ourselves.

We’ve been to the Museum dozens of times in the past 4 years, but today was the first time we stopped in the art studio. For my two creative kids, it was a little slice of heaven.  Friendly volunteers cheerfully welcomed us in and invited us to “bake” some gingerbread playdough cookies decorated with glue frosting and mismatched buttons.

No one seemed to mind that a mess was made.  At the Museum, kids are free to be kids.  It was fun for me to watch them get their hands (and the table/chairs/floor) dirty without worrying about how or when I’d clean up the mess.

True to form, Evie was delighted to participate in the craft activity. She carefully listened to the volunteer’s instructions, neatly rolled out the dough and thoughtfully decorated each creation with a finely curated selection of glitter and buttons.

Mack was also excited about the craft, but for a different reason: he could make a mess. And he did.

His playdough cookie looked like a craft explosion, and he couldn’t have been more content.

Gingerbread Playdough

4 cups flour

3/4 cup salt

2 cups water

1/2 cup oil

brown tempura paint (for color)

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons ginger

1 tablespoons instant tea

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Gradually add wet ingredients ans stir (you may not need all the wet ingredients). If dough is too sticky, knead in enough flour to make it the desired consistency. Store in an airtight container.

For “frosting” mix equal parts glue and paint.

If you’d like the craft project to dry, leave uncovered for at least 24 hours.