Homemade Play-Dough

As a mom, I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Play-Doh. I love that it keeps the kids occupied for long periods of time and allows them to be creative, but I hate picking little pieces of stickiness out of the carpet when they’re done! Since finding this recipe for homemade Play-Dough, I am much more of a fan than I used to be. The consistency is more elastic and less likely to dry out, so the ball stays together more easily and is less likely to end up in small pieces all over the place. Adding your own color is so much fun, and kneading it is therapeutic.

As I have said in the past, I am not the creative type at all, but this is one project that anyone can try and enjoy. The directions are fool-proof, and clean-up is easy – just let your saucepan soak in some hot soapy water, and the remnants will wipe right off. I had my 4 year-old help me, and it was a good project for the two of us to do together. You do need to work fairly quickly, so I probably would not attempt it with a younger child.

Here is the recipe, as written by Erika over at “Musings from a Stay-At-Home Mom“:

In a 2 qt saucepan, combine 1 c. flour, 1/3 c. salt, and 2 tsp cream of tartar. Stir, and then add 1 c. water and 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Stir, and turn on heat to medium-low and continue stirring. When the mixture starts to thicken, add some food coloring (7-10 drops seemed about right for us). The mixture will continue to get thicker and thicker – just continue stirring until the play-dough begins to collect around your spoon (about 2 minutes). Take it out of your saucepan, allow to cool a bit, and knead for a minute into a ball. Play! When you’re done playing, store in an airtight plastic container or a Ziploc bag.