Play dough is surprisingly easy to make and even the kids can help. As a preschool teacher we used to make play dough with the kids once every few months. It’s great for helping kids learn a lot of the aspects of cooking such as measuring, counting, chemistry and safety.
There are many play dough recipes out there (a quick google search will find you tons) but I like the classic stovetop version. The ingredients are easy and the consistency is great.
You need:
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
Optional: color (you can use food coloring, watercolor paint, tempura paint, any kind of dye or paint, really!); spices, oils or extracts to add a special smell (I used to love doing pumpkin pie spice in the fall with my preschoolers!
In a saucepan, mix all the ingredients together (letting the kids help you measure, pour and mix).
Heat on the stove, stirring almost constantly until it forms dough. (I brought the girls over one at a time to watch the “magic”. We discussed how the stove is hot and not to touch but it still didn’t prevent Sugarplum from pointing out the “red part” of the stove and touching. Luckily a quick rinse in tap water and some aloe vera gel kept it from hurting her too bad–she never even cried!)
After the dough comes together, knead until cool. I did the initial kneading then gave the girls rubber gloves to wear since it was hot off the stove.
Go play!
