Snow Dough

The kids and I have been reading "Mr Poppers Penguins" by Richard and Florence Atwater in our Sonlight homeschooling.  It has been a surprisingly good read and we are already 2 full weeks ahead in our reading--the boys don't want me to stop!!  This week we are going to do a hands on activity in honor of Mr Popper and his performing penguins!  We are going to make snow dough and sculpt it to look like little penguins and then paint on their black coats with acrylic paint.  The recipe for snow dough is as follows.
Snow Dough:
1 C flour
1 C water
1/2 C salt
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 Tbs white tempera paint
1 Tbs white or iridescent glitter
A few drops of peppermint extract (optional)

*Combine all of the ingredients except the peppermint extract in a medium size pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mix holds together (5 min).  Remove the pan from the heat.  Turn the dough out onto a waxed paper-lined counter to cool (15 min).  If you like, knead in the peppermint extract for a festive scent.  Store the cooled play dough in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Or, for a permanant design allow to air dry for several days.
(from Family Fun Nov '09)