Play dough!

Brandon writes: 

If you are anything like me you remember spending a lot of time playing with playdough when you were growing up. I remember having a new container of it and it was so much fun until the colors starting to mix some and it seemed they all turned into a gray color within a few weeks.

Regardless of the color of the play dough it was fun to play with and I spent a lot of time with it as a young child. Based on a quick search on Pinterest I found the website of parentingchaos.com and searched play dough on this site and found the following information:

It is pretty easy, and involves ingredients that you likely have at home all the time- except maybe you don’t have cream of tartar…maybe… This recipe is quick, yields a lot of playdough, and the playdough actually stays good for a long time. This would work great as a classroom or home activity for kids. Playdough is one of those toys that is great for all developmental stages -it really is a great indoor activity!

What you need for your Easy Playdough Recipe:

(see bottom of post for printable recipe)

• 1 cup flour

• 1 cup water

• 2 tsp. cream of tartar

• 1/3 cup salt

• 1 tbs. vegetable or coconut oil

• Food Coloring – you only need 1-2 drops and the colors are so vibrant

The above will make you a large ball of playdough. I usually make it repeatedly for however many colors I want.

What to do: {the hotter your pan is the quicker this will go}.

1. In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of cream of tarter, and 1/3 cup of salt (the salt keeps it from sticking, the cream of tartar preserves the playdough).

2. Next, add 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

3. Turn your burner on medium/low and stir. It will be a little lumpy and that’s fine.

4. Before it starts getting thick (this is going to happen fast, so be ready) you want to add whatever color food coloring you want. If it gets to thick before you add it, it’s hard to get an even color. Add the color and stir! If your color is uneven simply need the playdough after it has cooled down a bit.

5. Keep stirring, it is going to start thickening up and eventually clumping. This could take anywhere from 30 seconds-2 minutes depending on how hot your pan/stove is.

6. Once you notice the dough isn’t wet anymore, take it out of the pot. Set it aside to cool down.

The whole process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. it goes really fast, and even faster when you make additional batches because the pot/stove is already warm.

Store in a zip-lock bag or airtight container. It shouldn’t dry out, but if you notice it getting a bit dry you can add a few drops of water and knead that into the dough.