Kids craft ideas: Homemade playdough recipe

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Homemade playdough – All of us have enjoyed experimenting with play dough as kids. However, for those of us who missed out on the joy of make their own play dough from the scratch, we are here to share a play dough recipe that works! Not only works, but also makes amazing, easy, great quality play dough. This can be a great rainy or snowy day project you could do with the kids. Making your own play dough with your child can be fun. So try this play dough recipe and have fun.

Ingredients needed:
1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup salt
1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
food coloring (liquid, powder, or unsweetened drink mix)
scented oils

Steps to make play dough:

a.      Start with one cup of flour and two-tablespoon cream of tartar. Sieve them first.

b.      Add in 1/2 cup of fine salt.

c.       Stir in 1 cup warm water with one tablespoon of vegetable oil with a spoon or fork. Mix until there are no more lumps.

d.      Pour into a non-stick pan. Then stir over low heat. Keep on stirring. The dough will begin to thicken and look somewhat like mashed potatoes.

e.       When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your play dough is still sticky, you simply need to cook it longer. Keep stirring and cooking until the dough is dry and feels like play dough.

f.        Turn the dough out onto an aluminum foil on an activity table with storage. Knead vigorously until it becomes soft and smooth. Divide the dough into balls for coloring.

g.      Make a divot in the center of the ball, and drop some food coloring in. Fold the dough over, working the food color through the body of the play dough, trying to keep the raw dye away from your hands and the counter. You could use gloves to keep your hands clean. Work the dye through, adding as necessary to achieve your chosen color.

h.      When you are done, store your play dough in an airtight container.

Precautions:

1. The dry and wet ingredients need to be mixed separately and then combined. This makes all the difference.

2. If it begins to dry out, you can knead a bit of water in again to soften the dough back to usability. Once it dries past a certain point, you will just have to start over.