Oatmeal Playdough

Sam and I tried something new for breakfast today. We took the oatmeal Sam usually eats and made it so much more fun! Here is a "recipe" for oatmeal playdough that we just made up on the fly. If this idea already exists in internet-land, please don't tell me--I'm feeling mighty smart right now.

Oatmeal Playdough Recipe

- 1/2 cup quick oats

- 1/2 cup water (a little less might be better; we had to add some flour to the dough because it was a little too sticky)

- food coloring

Add a few drops of food coloring to the water, then stir in the oats. Microwave for one minute, then stir the oatmeal until it cools down and forms a ball. Make the oatmeal into fun shapes (by hand or with cookie cutters). Use a little flour on your hands if the dough is too sticky. Encourage your kid to eat as much of the dough as possible (it IS their breakfast, after all). This is the same stuff I've always made for Sam for breakfast (minus the food coloring and the smashing around). Yes, I only use a 1:1 ratio oatmeal to water so it is less messy (I would be nuts to give a toddler gloppy oatmeal! Oh wait...). If your kid isn't used to plain oatmeal, you can give him some syrup or honey for dipping, or a little sugar or cinnamon for sprinkling.

This morning, Sam had green oatmeal hearts. The brown on top is wheat flour we used on our hands because the dough was a little too sticky. As a treat (as if a mom who let's you smash your oatmeal isn't cool enough), I gave him a few drops of sugar-free syrup for dipping.