Making homemade playdough...because it’s way cheaper than buying the stuff in the store!

Let’s face it, I love a good sale or clearance section at Target, but playdough never seems to be on sale! I can't justify spending full price on something that will dry up, be eaten by the kids or the dog or ends up being covered in dog hair five minutes after playing with it. So last winter, my mom came over and made homemade playdough with my oldest Oscar (he’s almost 4 now). It has lasted us an entire year, but what started out as four separate colors, now has turned into one big pile of brown-ish green semi-hard dough with filled with dog hair and who knows what else. With it being cold and dreary out, I figured this is a good time to make some new stuff.

So, today, we did just that….

I imagined this being a great activity to bond over, and while we did, it lasted all of 10 minutes before Oscar said, “Mom I’m bored, let's do something fun.” What I didn't mention earlier is that he’s been begging to make new playdough for a few weeks now...and all of a sudden, this isn’t fun. Really?!?!

Ah well...it was great while it lasted. The first batch we made together and I finished the other three batches while they were busy ‘doing something fun’.

This is by far my favorite playdough recipe out of all of them I have tried, and one my mom used with me when I was younger. It’s easy to work with, doesn’t feel too dry or too sticky.

Here are my personal chefs showing how it's done :)

Here’s the recipe - enjoy! I hope your mini me’s think this is a fun activity...since mine didn’t!

1 cup flour

¼ cup salt

2 Tablespoons of Cream of Tartar

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water

Food coloring (to liking)

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl, except the food coloring.

2. Mix well until all lumps are gone.

3. Once the mixture is smooth, add food coloring (to your liking) and stir.

4. Pour the mixture into a saucepan.

5. On medium heat, continue to stir the mixture until it forms a ball of dough. It will start forming within seconds of putting it on heat, so stay close by.

6. Take the saucepan off the stove and put your ball of dough on a baking sheet to cool.

7. After about 30 seconds, knead the dough with your hands.

Now you can play with it, or find some storage containers like I had to do because my kids were busy having fun doing something else.

- Tressa -