Homemade Play Dough

I guarantee to you that once you make your own play dough at home, you will never go back to store bought again!  Homemade is just all around better.  Here are a couple of my current favorite play dough recipes...



Kool-Aid Play Dough
(original recipe can be found here)

Ingredients:
1 cup flour (I used extra)
1 cup boiling water (be careful of little hands!)
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup salt
1 packet of Kool-Aid (I used Tropical Punch)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except water
Add the water and mix thoroughly
Knead together, adding more flour if necessary
Store in a ziplock bag or plastic container

This recipe is great!  It uses Kool-Aid for scent and color and does not call for cream of tarter (I was looking for this specifically because we were almost out).  This play dough smells amazing, has bright color, and is perfectly squishy!  I added about a half cup more flour after mixing in the original cup because it was a bit too sticky.




Play Dough
(original recipe can be found here)

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/4 cup salt
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
food coloring (about 4 drops)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan
Once the mixture is mostly clump free, heat over medium heat
Stir constantly until the dough starts to stick together into one big clump (it doesn't take long)
Remove from heat and knead by hand
Once it's cool enough for little hands, it's ready to go!
Store in a ziplock bag or plastic container

I have made this recipe all one color and multiple colors.  If you cook up everything without the food coloring, you can separate out your dough after cooking and add a few drops to each separate ball and knead the color in at that point.  I wasn't crazy about the nasty brownish color that was left after all the colored dough was played with and squished together but I didn't have the heart to require my child to not mix them up while playing.  So, now we just stick to one color at a time.

I actually think this is probably my favorite recipe but the next time I make it I will use Kool-Aid in place of food coloring so I can have the best of both worlds.  The scented dough is so wonderful but the texture of this recipe really is great and it uses less salt and less oil.  If you don't have cream of tarter, stick with the first recipe.  I have read that you can substitute vinegar for cream of tarter but it will obviously change the smell of your dough.

Have fun!