Peeps Play Dough

Want a fun and edible way to make some Easter play dough? This is a super simple and yet super interactive way to get creative!

Step one: In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, add 5 Peeps, 1 tablespoon of Crisco and 3 tablespoons of flour.

Step two: Stir together.

Step three: Microwave for 15 seconds, stir and repeat. Ours took about 30 seconds.

Step four: Once marshmallows have started to melt, stir quickly. Please be very careful—the contents will be hot. This was something I needed to do because of the heat!

Step five: Once ingredients are stirred together in the bowl, allow to cool down on the counter for a few minutes before tiny hands handle the play dough!

Step six: Repeat with as many colors you would like! We were easily able to double each batch and still use about 30 seconds in the microwave.

Step seven: You can also easily add food coloring to brighten the colors! We had fun mixing the colors to create new colors as well!

Step eight: This is edible but not the best tasting, according to my children!

Materials Needed:

• 5 Marshmallow Peeps (we used 30 total)

• 1 T. Crisco or similar per 5 Peeps

• 3 T. flour per 5 Peeps

• Mixing bowl

• Mixing spoon

• Microwave

Janelle Cumro-Sultzer lives in Manhattan, Kansas, with her husband, soon to be three children and two dogs. Janelle is the owner of Flint Hills Mediation LLC and loves to focus on learning through play and getting messy with crafts.

We have an eight-year-old rescue pup that became accustomed to being with his humans all the time due to remote working. (Three years now!) The last family member is transitioning back to work so we reintroduced the crate slowly. Burt did fine until he was left for more than two hours. He tried to chew his way out of the steel crate and injured his lips and gums. How do we help him adjust to his people being gone? We cannot afford doggie daycare and he is destructive if we leave him to roam the house when no one is home. Our vet suggested anxiety medication, but we tried it once and when we came home, he was lethargic and out of it. We just want our sweet boy to be safe and happy.

- Kristen Bray

I recommend chatting with your vet about a lower dose of antianxiety medication. These medications are great to help a dog adjust to a routine. You can slowly wean Burt off the medication as he becomes accustomed to being alone. Antianxiety medications are great, but all animals react differently so it’s crucial that you find the one that works for your pet. Dogs are associative learners, which means they learn in patterns, so give him a routine. Start creating a pattern of offering your pet a high value toy or type of food right before you leave. Make sure this item is something he only gets when you are away from the home, so that it stays a highly valued item. Do not get excited when you return home or at least don’t show excitement to your pet. Make leaving and returning to the home no big deal at all to your pet. Once the dog is calm after your arrival, reward him by giving love and pets. This is difficult for many people since we love to greet our pets when we get home. Never scold or punish your pet when they’re displaying separation anxiety because that will cause confusion and mistrust with your pet and in most cases, make the situation much worse. I recommend doing kennel time for a couple of hours every day even when people are home so that he can get used to the routine of being in a kennel. - Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

I have a dog that won’t settle down in the kennel. He has eaten his bed, destroyed the floor mat and hardly responds at all to food in his kennel. If we put anything other than his Kong in the kennel, he destroys it. We have tried feeding him in his kennel, making him go in for quick bursts, and increasing time spent in the kennel when working from home. He can chill in his kennel for up to an hour when I work from home, sometimes even with the office door closed. We are running out of ideas on how to calm him. Are there classes that you would recommend or other training techniques you use?

- Ally Howard

Please read the previous question and response since it pertains to crate training as well. Crating can be effective for some animals with separation anxiety but can also be detrimental for others with confinement anxiety or severe separation anxiety. Try to make the crate a fun and positive place. This is not a place to put your dog when they’re in trouble. Teach your pet to love the crate by taking it slow and rewarding them when they do a good job in their kennel. If your pet is excessively panting or is at risk of hurting themselves, this is not the best option. Try to play out-of-sight games. An example would be teaching your dog to stay while you move further and further away and eventually into another room. Encourage your pet to be in a different room while they eat and play or play outside without your presence to teach them that being separated is okay. If your pet has severe separation anxiety, you may need to consult a behavior pharmacologist or veterinarian to discuss the possibility of medication to help with severe anxiety. The medications can also be used short-term while you are establishing a routine. We offer behavior consultations at Great Plains SPCA if you would like to learn more.

- Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Hi, I’m Lena! A gorgeous and spirited pup, that’s me! I’m a lovely girl who quickly won over the hearts of the shelter staff and volunteers. I have been described as well-behaved, independent, and gorgeous. That’s really me in a nutshell! I am also housetrained which I know is a big plus for many of you humans out there. If you would like to meet Lena, please email adoptions@greatplainsspca. org for more information!

Email askashley@greatplainsspca.org for a chance to have your pet question answered in KC Parent magazine. Animal expert, Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA, is the Senior Director of Animal Behavior and Training at Great Plains SPCA. Ashley has more than 16 years of experience in animal training and behavior.

When people think about organ donation, likely the first thing to come to mind is the DMV. When a person gets a government issued license, one of the many questions asked is, “Do you want to be an organ donor?” It might catch some people off guard and make them hesitate—it’s a significant topic that is breezed over with just a quick question. I, on the other hand, answered with a confident “Yes!” when I encountered the ever-so-important question. Organ donation holds a special place in my heart, as it saved my Uncle Bud’s life 24 years ago. He was given the gift of life and received a heart transplant when he was 27 years old. This heart changed his life for the better and allowed him to live a spontaneous life of adventure for an additional 21 years. “Yes” was an obvious choice for me, but for some people, it can be a harder decision. Let me share some of the many benefits of organ donation.

According to OrganDonor.gov, a single donation can save eight lives and enhance more than 75 more. This means that a single person has the ability to impact 83