Kid’s Favourite Playdough
It’s been raining this entire week, here in Georgia. I don’t mind a nice rainy evening here or there, but I’m over it. Ben wants to go outside, I’m ready for some sunshine and fresh air. Frankly, we’re all a little bored, stuck inside. That’s until, my girlfriend mentioned she made playdough this past weekend, and a light bulb went off! That’s when, I decided today was homemade playdough day! This dough has easily become my Kid’s Favourite Playdough.
The littlest doesn’t play yet, but I’m sure he’ll love it when he reaches that age, so I’ve included him in the title. Ben played for a solid hour before we had to pack it away for lunch and naps. According to the forecast, this may be our pastime until Monday! Not that I’m complaining. This playdough is so much better than the store bought stuff. I have never found an efficient way to get that stuff out of those tiny containers, I end up with bits of dough stuck under my nails every time.
This homemade version is amazing. It’s soft, easy, cheap and lasts for months! Literally this came together in minutes. Kneading in the food colouring was the only time consuming part and honestly, Ben would’ve been just as happy with the original bland colour. He just wanted to push cookie cutters into it.
To make my Kid’s Favourite Playdough, all you need is five simple ingredients, likely already in your pantry. A big pot, a bowl and and something to stir with. Mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a bowl first. Bring the oil, water mixture to a boil and remove from heat. The original recipe calls for adding your food colouring here, but I wanted to split the batch into multiple colours, so I just went ahead and immediately stirred in the flour mixture. Mix quickly until it’s all combined.
To achieve different colours, I divide my dough into equal amounts and then add my desired food colouring to each. I added probably 10-15 drops of colouring for each colour. A bit more for the darker colours (blue, red, green). I put the dough and each food colouring into a separate ziptop baggie. This keeps my hands from turning random shades of colour. I kneaded each dough in the ziptop bag until it’s well mixed. Pull the dough out and knead a few more times by hand.
We went with blue, green, red, yellow and orange food colouring, but you could use any colour that you like best. Once the playdough is made, add some kitchen gear and from there it’s all about their imaginations. We used cookie cutters (always a must), spatulas, teaspoons, a potato masher, a flipper, beaters from the hand mixer, a tart press. Literally, anything I could find in the drawer, that would make a cool indent.
We spend most of the time making pretend food. I was offered a playdough sandwich, ice cream, pizza and cake. All the good stuff. Apparently, we have some healthy food conversations in our future, we’ll work on that. Either way, it was a great way to break up a dreary morning and watching Ben’s imagination at play is a favourite of mine. Really, is there anything more amazing than watching your child learn and explore? Try my Kid’s Favourite Playdough today and see what your little ones dreams up!
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Kid’s Favourite Playdough
A perfect pass time on those dreary rainy days. My Kid’s Favourite Playdough comes together in a flash and is a major boredom buster in our home. Add some fun kitchen gadgets and let your kid’s imaginations run wild.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups water
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp cream of tartar
- food colouring if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
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Mix together the flour, salt and cream of tartar and set aside.
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Bring water and oil to a boil, in a large pot. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the flour mixture, until well combined.
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Divide into equal amounts and put each into a ziptop bag. Add about 10-15 drops of your desired food colouring to each one. Knead the dough, in the baggie, until the food colouring is combined. This step saves your hands from turning multiple colours. Once it’s fairly well mixed, remove from the baggie and knead a few more times by hand.
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The playdough is now ready for play. Add any kitchen gadgets you’re comfortable with. I suggest cookie cutters, potato mashers, tart presses, spoons, spatula’s etc. Anything that will create a cool shape or indent.
RECIPE NOTES
Recipe adapted from L. Radbourne’s recipe and found in the Radbourne Family Cookbook.
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