I learned to make Homemade Playdough years ago when I was in college, and it has been my go-to dough in the classroom and at home ever since. I will readily admit that I am a playdough snob when it comes to what I want in my preschool classroom. I have yet to find a store bought playdough that will do the trick. Every commercial playdough that I have used in my classroom ends up drying out and crumbling much too soon for my liking. The only kind of playdough that gets my stamp of approval in my classroom is Homemade Playdough.
If made correctly Homemade Playdough stays smooth and does not dry out quickly. My playdough recipe does not call for any ingredients and can be adjusted to make it more interesting each season. I’ve put glitter to make sparkly white snow dough, and I have used Lavender essential oils to add a calming scent to the dough. I even added pumpkin pie spice one year to make it smell like fall. There are all kinds of ways you can use this dough for learning in your home or classroom. I have even made this playdough to give as birthday gifts for young ones.
Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
2 T. Cream of Tartar
1 cup Water
1 T. Vegetable Oil
Food Coloring
Directions:
Step One – Mix salt, flour, and Cream of Tartar.
Step Two – Mix water, oil and food coloring.
Step Three – Add the two mixtures together. Cook over medium heat until the dough is the right consistency. STIR CONSTANTLY! And keep a close eye on it, as it gets to a “doughy” consistency pretty quickly (about 3-5 minutes).
Step Four – Cool on the counter until it’s cool to the touch. Keep an eye on it because you don’t want it to start to harden while it cools. When it’s just slightly warm or cool to the touch place it in an airtight container.
