inspired by homemade dough finn brought home with him from a play date with lily, dough he played with at his playgroup buddy's house, and by memories of my mom making play dough with my brother and me at our kid-sized table in the kitchen, we set out to make play dough one rainy day last week. i did the stove work, but lala was creative designer. i.e., she chose the colors. homemade play dough is plentiful, cheap, and so beautifully pliable. it makes a very fun indoor activity and can also make a really creative, frugal gift for another child, especially when paired with a cookie cutter in a shape that child likes. (our play dough cookie cutters were free via freecyle, but nice metal ones are really inexpensive at thrift shops and even the local kitchen store.)
homemade play dough1 C flour
1/2 C salt
2 t cream of tartar*
1 C water with food coloring added (we use gel or paste coloring, which gives more vibrant colors)
1 T oil
add all of ingredients into a pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it forms a uniformly firm ball. it will become difficult to stir as it becomes harder, but continue until there are no soft spots remaining. (this sounds harder than it is!) remove and knead to to soften, smooth, and cool.
this recipe may sound smaller than others you have found. because the color is added to the water prior to cooking (to achieve perfectly uniformly colored dough), it makes a smaller batch. you'll want to make multiple batches to create different colors. it makes approximately 1 pound (500 g), which is more than enough dough for two kids to divide and share.
*cream of tartar can be pricey, however, it supposedly acts to increase the shelf life of homemade play dough.
C = cup, T = tablespoon, and t = teaspoon
