Homemade play dough
On a rainy day a few weeks ago, Jack and I made play dough for the first time. Jack still likes to put everything in his mouth, so I knew home made was the only way to go (despite the non-toxic label on the hasbro variety). I searched through a lot of recipes and combined a few together to make my "own" using what I had on hand and what sounded like it would hold up but not be too messy. I also wanted something I could make quickly, so I chose a "no-cook" recipe which worked great.
We had fun mixing it up...if you are going to let your little one help, just make sure the water cools enough before they start mixing.
We've been playing with the play dough almost every day (it's a great activity for Jack at his little table in the kitchen while I am cooking) making balls, owls, ice cream cones, pretend dinners, letters, and worm families. And, I've gotten out my cookie cutters and biscuit tools for Jack to use with his "dough". It is still going strong after more than 2 weeks! And, it is not too sticky, in fact, I think it has a perfect consistency. I just store it in the refrigerator in a plastic ziplocs between uses.
1 Minute Playdough
1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour (I used oat flour which gave it a sandy texture and cool brown color)
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon of oil
1 cup of boiling water.
Mix salt, flour, and cream of tartar together in a large bowl. Then, mix in the wet ingredient, oil and water. Knead all ingredients together until the stickiness of the dough vanishes. You can also add food coloring at this point or a natural food dye to create colored play dough. We haven't colored ours yet and Jack seems content.