how to make your own playdough

Homemade play dough, fun and easy.You can use normal kitchen ingredients to make play dough.

Let's face it if you are a mom and stay home with your toddler for any length of time you will understand this problem. The problem is coming up with enough things to keep your toddler busy. First of all they don't have a very long attention span and if you don't keep their minds busy they make their own fun. This is usually not a good thing. That means that it is up to us as moms to find something, or rather, lots of somethings to keep our toddlers busy. If you are always buying stuff to keep your toddler busy you are going to be broke in a short period of time.

There are actually several things that you can make at home with normal household products that most of us have on hand. Play dough is just one thing that is easy, fun, and quick to make. Also, your toddler can help you make it. If they are older they can help you mix the ingredients. You can do the cooking. Then they can also help with the coloring. My son is 21 months now so I made and colored it all myself, but he loved to play with it once it was made.

Ingredients

1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of salt
1 cup of water
1 Tbs of oil
2 tsps cream of tartar
Food coloring

Combine all the ingredients except for the food coloring. Then you cook and stir over medium heat until mixture forms a ball.( approx 3 minutes) Remove from the heat. At this point you can divide and add food coloring. Knead for several minutes until dough is smooth and workable.

Tips

When I made my dough it did not really form a ball like they say. It was more of a really firm mass. I let it cool and then pulled pieces off of the mass. I did not really roll out I just kneaded it a little in my hands. One thing to consider is wearing gloves other wise your hands will end up stained multiple colors like mine are right now.