After posting my shape play dough mats, I thought you might like a recipe for some homemade play dough! The boys’ preschool teachers gave me this recipe, and it worked out really well. For those of you with really little ones, you don’t have to worry so much if they happen to eat some of it!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 4 cups of water
• 4 tablespoons of oil
• 1/2 cup of cream of tartar
• Food coloring

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, including color.
2. When it is well mixed cook over low heat.
3. Mix continuously until it is the consistency of play dough. You won’t be able to stir it any longer.
4. It will still need to be mixed a little, so put it on a cookie sheet and let cool for a while. Then mix with your hands until it is all mixed

There are lots of ways to change up the recipe:

• Try adding spices. For example, in the fall or at Christmas: 4-8 tablespoons of cinnamon and a bit of allspice, cloves, and/or nutmeg.
• Add some extract for scent. For example: 4 teaspoon almond extract, 4 teaspoon ginger.
• Or add scent with some essential oils. You can add the essential oils to the oil in the recipe before adding it to the other ingredients. Different scents can also have a therapeutic effect. For example: frankincense for focus, peppermint for energy, lemon for clarity, citrus for creativity, lavender for comfort.

Tips:

• Be forewarned! If you add color, your hands will also take on some color. Try some rubber gloves!
• You can buy Cream of Tartar at Amazon or a warehouse store. It keeps for quite some time.
• This recipe makes quite a lot! You could divide it up, using different colors and scents.
• Store in an airtight container or zip top bag. But don’t close it up until the dough is completely cool!
• Try to get your little ones to help. They can measure, pour, and mix ingredients. And they can knead the dough after it cools.

Next time we make some play dough, I’ll take some pictures of the steps!