Make Your Own Dig and Play Treasure Rock

This dough recipe looks like a rock! And with the hidden treasures inside... kids are sure to have fun excavating. 

Makes approximately 3 cups of dough.

What You Will Need:

• 1 cup Used Coffee Grounds (dried thoroughly)
• 1/4 cup Sand
• 1/2 cup Salt
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 cup Water
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Mixing Spoon
• Small Trinkets (to use as treasures)

What You Do:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients (kids love this part).
2. Add water to the dry ingredients slowly while stirring. Continue to add water until the mixture forms a dough.
   Don't add the water all at once, or you could end up with really runny dough.
3. Knead the dough until it is well mixed, then shape in to small balls.
   We like to make the balls about 3" to 4" diameter.
4. Poke a hole in the dough ball and add a special surprise, then cover the hole with dough and reshape if necessary.
   If adding more than one small treasure, try to add these pieces to different areas of the dough ball for more of a challenge in retrieving the items.
5. Allow the dough ball to air dry for 2 to 5 days. You may need more time, depending on the size of the dough ball. Or, depending on the object inserted into the dough, dry the dough in the oven by baking for about 15-30 minutes at 150-degrees F.
   Caution: Do not leave the dough in the oven too long, as it could cause the object inside to melt.
6. When the dough is dried and hardened, give the ball to your child to chisel open and discover the hidden surprise!

Variations:

• Make enough Treasure Rocks for a birthday party activity, playdate activity, or classroom project.
• Children can use craft sticks or small screwdrivers to chisel out their treasure. Please supervise children if they are using screwdrivers to ensure they don't harm themselves.
• Pretend the Treasure Rocks are meteors from outer space for a Space Themed party. Use small astronauts, aliens, superballs, plastic stars, or small spaceships as the prizes inside the rock.
• Pretend the Treasure Rocks are old fossils for a Dinosaur Themed party. Use small dinosaurs, a shark tooth, or other dinosaur items as the prizes inside the rock.
• Hide gold coins in the rocks and use the rocks as an introduction to a Gold Rush lesson - what a fun way to introduce history to children!

Additional Notes:

• Depending on the ratio of dry ingredients you use for this recipe, the dough may turn out very hard (like a rock), or somewhat firm. Either way, kids have a blast digging for treasures!
• If children are excavating their rocks inside, we recommend working in a tray or large bowl to minimize the mess.
• When the rocks have been cracked open, it is safe to add the leftover crumbs to a compost pile.