I found this putty in the $1 bins at Target a few weeks ago and added it to my “Summer Vacation Emergency Activity Box”. I pulled it out (three jars, each with a different tiny plastic dinosaur floating in the goo) this afternoon at around midday, just as the bickering was escalating to crisis point. 

I fully expected the novelty to wear off after 10 minutes or so, and hoped beyond hope that they would then naturally move on to other things. But two hours later, they were still sitting there. I wrenched The Wictor away for a nap at 2pm, and Baby Sister and T-Bot continued to play until 3pm, when we had to leave for speech therapy. They pleaded, they begged not to have to leave, then outright refused to go to the car until I issued wild threats, because they were having too much fun. We got back home at 4.30 and they played until dinnertime, and through dinnertime between mouthfuls, stopping only when the call went out for “Simpsons!”

We had the same stuff when I was a kid, only we called it Slime. We used to toss it from hand to hand and goof around, pretending it was snot and the like. The key here was the addition of paper plates, which added a whole new dimension to the experience. On a paper plate, you can cut holes in it, or make it into a lake, a bed for a dinosaur, anything your imagination will permit. If you are into sensory play, it certainly provides that, and The Wictor practiced his fine motor skills wobbling his putty into the jar and prizing it back out.  So, an unexpected all-round winner! 

The details? Made in China (of course), not specifically labelled non-toxic but none of our fingers have fallen off yet. Marked ages 4 and up, but the almost 2 year old has had just as much fun with it as anyone.