by Barbara Rucci 15 Comments
If you have never made homemade playdough, I hope this post compels you do it already. It’s really easy and cool to make. (By cool I mean sciency and awesome). The kids loooooooove making it, but the true bonus is that it lasts forever and ever! (By forever I mean in playdough-time, which is about 6 months). We used food coloring but you could also experiment with natural dyes.
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
dye & glitter
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients in a big-ish bowl (big is good because then little people can stir without losing too much). Add the water, oil, food coloring and glitter. We used about 2 tablespoons silver glitter. When fully mixed (it’s ok if there are still a few lumps), pour into a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture draws away from the pan. Cool until you are able to handle it. Knead until smooth and place in an airtight container (we use zip locks).
{Note: Although homemade, this playdough is not edible because it’s too salty.}
We’ve collected many tools over the years for playing with our playdough. On this day, we used a roller, spatula, potato masher, and an old set ofheart cookie cutters.
Playdough never gets boring because it’s so tactile. Even my 13-year old will knead and roll and cut. And there is something about homemade playdough that is softer and even more satisfying to squeeze!
Make some today before Nemo hits (for all of you New Englanders), and stay safe!!
{Here is a video that shows you how it’s made. They used essential oils which is also a great idea…rose scented play dough!}
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Comments
BToday is a great day for this. Thank you!
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I love making play doh, the cooked version definitely lasts longer.
Also try adding a few different flavourings to your different coloured play doh with strawberry essence, vanilla essence etc. adds another dimenson to the sensory play.
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- Barbara Rucci
Ooh! I love that idea…thanks for sharing!
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- Kiran
Love the recipe but few helpful tips:
Recipe calls for flour , all I had was a whole wheat flour and it turned out gritty. In my second batch I used all purpose flour after I made a special trip to the grocery store
2nd my toddler boy likes to carry the play dough in his hand..so…word of caution lol if you have suede couch the oil from the flour will leave a mark on your light furniture. Also be careful of slippery floor.
Other than that it has been a biiiig hit !! Thank you.Reply
- Barbara Rucci
i agree kiran…keep away from suede!! but the oil may be from the oil, not the flour. i would say keep the play dough on the table. i make rules for playing with it, and you are not allowed to carry it around the house. tempting as it is, play dough stays at the table. thanks for trying it, though, and i do hope it ended up being fun and not too annoying! xo bar
what about ants. i live in a humid Caribbean environment would the play dough attract ants?
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- Barbara Rucci
well, the play dough has a high salt content. i don’t think ants will like it, but that’s just a guess…i don’t have scientific evidence. it’s worth a try!! good luck!!
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Hello!
I saw that you tagged our site in your recent post about homemade playdough/glitter and wanted to thank you! I appreciate the support and am so excited to have found your blog. Your photography and artistic skills are really great. Looking forward to continuing to follow!
Have a happy holidays!
~ Hannah from Wild Mint 🙂Reply
- Barbara Rucci
your store is fantastic!! so glad i found you too! xx bar
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- Jessica
Hello,
I was going to try this recipe with my class, but we don’t have access to a stove. Have you ever made it with the same ingredients but not cook it?Reply
- Barbara Rucci
hi Jessica, I have not made it without a stove, but there are no-cook playdough recipes out there. you can probably just Google it!
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- Caroline
I make this exact same recipe but in my large stand mixer and use boiling water. Always perfect!
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- Barbara Rucci
I’ve actually never tried with boiling water! I’ve heard it’s great, though. Definitely putting that on my to-do list! Thanks Caroline, xo Bar
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Thank you for being a constant artistic inspiration in our home 😊 Your book Art Workshop for Children and your blog are always OPEN here! This is one of my favourite recipes for play dough—- No fail.
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- Barbara Rucci
oh I’m so happy to hear that!! thank you for leaving a comment, Jennifer… I agree this is the best recipe but it’s so nice to hear from others that I’m not just imagining this! thank you for buying my book, too! xx Bar
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