Play dough. Remember it? I do. It’s so fun!  So many things can be created from it. I thought Finn (my 2 1/2 yr. old son) might really enjoy it, so I decided to make it – and I’m so glad I did! It engages him in such a wonderful way – the sound effects while pushing his cars ‘down the road’, the dialogue between ‘drivers’, simply the overall scenes being played out in his mind and then being expressed verbally are fabulous to listen to…especially while I’m working on my own projects…

I know, it can bought just about anywhere for next to nothing, but why buy when you can make? And it’s way more fun than driving to a store, parking, looking for it, paying for it, driving back home and then removing it from it’s packaging….and finally, discarding its packaging…

So instead, I made it. It’s so simple. Really.

Use a basic cooking pot – not your best, (it’s not going to get ruined or anything, it just doesn’t require anything special), any old pot will do. Add food coloring for a bit of ‘oomph’, if you so desire – or go ‘au natural’ and keep it plain. We tried both and each were equally enjoyable…I bought food coloring just for this project – it’s not something I ‘just have around’ (I’m not into adding chemicals to my food) …but I’d thought we’d give it whirl, since we’re not eating it…

This is a great project for kids to help out with or simply to surprise them with. Don’t have kids? Make and give to a friends child or make with a niece or nephew… it’s a great project for those rainy summer days…their imaginations can soar…

This recipe makes enough for 2-4 colors (if you so wish). Here I split the batter equally into two (red + green) separate bowls, added the coloring  (add as much or as little), mixing well and then cooking on stove top.

You could easily separate into 4 bowls and have 4 different colors as well – or keep natural and don’t separate at all…it’s entirely up to you.

Have fun.

You will need;

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons cream of tarter

Mix all ingredients well to remove lumps.

Cook on stove, stirring constantly, until consistency changes. It should be too thick to stir and have a sheen.

Knead to cool – it may be handed to children while still a little warm. (I kneaded it on a plate so the dye didn’t color my cutting board).

Makes enough for 2-3 children or separate into 3-4 separate ‘mixes’ and add a different coloring to each…

Have fun!