Homemade Play Dough Recipe

Fun For Rainy Days

With the weather being less than agreeable and the girls and I cooped up in our “cozy” apartment we need things to distract us and release the energy being pent-up……

Today we were suppose to make Banana Nut Muffins with chocolate chips but after much hype and gaining the little ladies full attention we happened to be missing at least three ingredients. And yes, there were tears, “Mommy can’t we just make muffins without eggs?”, “Mommy can’t we just wait for the eggs?”….Not even the promise of Daddy picking up eggs and muffins being made first thing in the morning would do 😦

As I sat struggling with my 3-year-old, pleading with her to understand, I had an amazing idea…An idea like no one has ever had before!… OK, maybe that’s not so true, but I felt clever for remembering I had other options..which is hard to do these days. I suggested homemade play dough and BINGO, we had a winner!

So the girls and I found some fun on this rainy day and made Homemade Play Dough!

Homemade Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
• 1 Tablespoon of oil
• 1 Cup water
• food coloring
• food flavoring (optional)

Gather your ingredients.

Procure help, preferably from littles.

Make your dough!

1. Mix dry ingredients in a medium saucepan
2. Add oil and stir
3. Add water and stir over medium heat. continue to stir until dough starts to pull away from sides and is becoming difficult to move. You may scrape dough out of corners of pan.
4. Turn dough out on a non-stick surface (we use an oilcloth tablecloth) and knead until dough feels like “play-doh”. Homemade play dough does tend to be slightly softer in texture than store-bought however.

Add color and scent to your dough.

1. separate dough into balls (however many colors you choose to have)
2. create a dip in the dough ball. Add food coloring a few drops at a time along with a few drops of flavoring (We used vanilla, raspberry, and orange)
3. Knead coloring into dough. Continue step 2. until dough is desired color and smell 🙂

Don’t worry if you do not completely spread the color out evenly, it will do so as your children play with it 🙂 You do want to make sure there are no wet spots of food coloring before handing it over, or you might have a mess on your hands!

*Note* This is the most important step.

Have fun with your play dough!

 Some alterations to the method:

• You may add coloring and scent to the cooking process which is honestly easier but you will only have that one color.  All the more reason to make more batches!
• Be creative with the dough, use Koolaid for color and scent, use cinnamon for scent, add glitter, pick up fun food colors from cake decorating stores! Your only limited by your own imagination!

Happy Playing

♥

Samantha