I put together this sweet little play dough kit as a Christmas gift for my son. I started with a $3.99 GLIS box with lid from IKEA, made some homemade galaxy play dough, solar system story stones, handmade astronaut peg doll, wood craft stars, space figurines and our die cast space shuttle.

This was SUPER simple to put together and I totally see myself making other themed play dough kits to keep my boys entertained. I've taken the time to break it down for you all and included links to all the materials I used along with some other suggestions for those of you who don't want to make the handmade aspects of the kit. Enjoy!

Galaxy Play Dough I typically prefer to buy Play-Doh rather than make my own but the galaxy play dough is so dreamy, I couldn't resist! I put together a recipe based on the many no cook play dough recipes I found online, added black food coloring and various types of silver glitter.

Galaxy Play Dough Recipe: 4 cups flour ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 cup salt 3 tbs cream of tartar 3-3 ½ cups of boiling water Optional: food coloring, glitter, essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together in a Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook and slowly add the 3-3 ½ cups of boiling water. I only used about 3 ¼ cups on the batch I made. I added black gel food coloring, various sizes of silver glitter and a little lavender essential oil to improve the sent. Add a little water if the consistency is too dry or flour if it's too wet. Store in a zip lock baggie or air tight container for up to 6 months.

Solar System Story Stones No doubt you've seen the super cute story stones all over Pinterest and Instagram. I encourage you to make some yourself! I've been making story stones for my kids, nieces and nephews and gifting them to friends for years. They're always a huge hit. I personally like to hand paint simple images on the stones using acrylic paint and cover with a protective varnish (like this one) to preserve the image and prevent the paint from chipping. Be sure to use unpolished stones! We've even used rocks out of our own garden.

Planets on Wood Coins Another option would be to use wood coins. You can buy inexpensive wood coins in a variety of sizes at any craft store or on Amazon. Simply print and cut the images of the planets and space objects and glue them onto the wood coins. Add a thin layer of glue on top of the paper for extra protection. Tip: you may need to experiment with the paper size percentage in your printer settings to get the right fit for your coins.

Solar System Figurines If you wanted to skip the handmade solar system all together, this Safari Ltd Safariology The Solar System is a great option!

Astronaut Peg Doll This little guy was super simple to make! You can pick up the wood peg dolls at the craft store or Amazon. I used acrylic paint to make a NASA inspired space suit and a simple smiling face. You can always sketch an outline with pencil first if you're not confident with your painting abilities. I finished with a coat of varnish to seal the paint.

Wood Craft Stars and Alternatives I purchased my wood craft stars at Hobby Lobby in the Christmas Crafts section. Here's a option from Amazon that you can paint silver or gold. My boys have also enjoyed using these glow in the dark stars in our solar system themed sensory play. You could use beads or large sequins. Even balled up pieces of tin foil make great “moon rocks.”

There are so many possibilities when it comes to these diy kits. I mostly used things we already had on hand. I hope I’ve inspired you to put together a kit of your own!

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