Directions on How to Make Playdough

Children can help make homemade playdough.

Those looking for an entertaining and easy craft need look no farther than a traditional playdough recipe. This edible clay-like mixture is simple to make, requiring just a few ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen. When it's finished, the homemade ball of playdough can be pounded, rolled and shaped into anything you and your children imagine. Make multiple batches of the mix in various colors to have a rainbow of playdough to play with.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbs. cream of tartar
• 1 Tbs oil
• Pan
• Food coloring
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic container with a sealed lid

Instructions

1. Measure your ingredients, which include 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar and 1 tablespoon of oil.

2. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Place the pan on the stove and heat on low.

3. Stir the mixture with a fork, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and becomes a ball in the center of the pan. This takes about five minutes.

4. Add drops of food coloring into the mix to color your playdough. Add about three or four drops of red, blue or yellow dye to turn your playdough mix into the respective colors. Create a new hue by mixing red and blue to make purple, yellow and blue to make green or yellow and red to make orange. Stir until the mixture is a uniform color.

5. Remove the playdough from the pan. Place it on a sheet of aluminum foil and leave it to cool. You can play with the mixture as soon as it is cool enough to handle.

6. Store the homemade playdough in a sealed container.

Tips & Warnings

• Add some flavor and color to your edible playdough, by mixing one packet of unflavored Kool-Aid into the mix when you first combine all the ingredients.

References

• Moms Who Think: Playdough Recipe
• PlaydoughRecipe.com: Kool Aid PlayDough Recipe