Thursday, December 10, 2009

Homemade Play dough

There's something special about homemade play dough. Maybe my feeling stems from my childhood when Grandma would throw together some flour and water and we'd have an afternoon of fun.
When my four year old asked if he could play with play dough, I invited him to his kitchen step stool so we could make some. He loved stirring the mixture as I added the necessary ingredients to the big pot. To make it even more fun, I added aroma... pumpkin pie spice and a dash of nutmeg... mmmmm!
Together we watched and stirred, our arms getting tired, as the clumpy "mess" turned into a soft smooth dough. We turned it out of the pot onto the counter to knead it while it was still warm. I don't know which part was more fun, creating the dough with my "big boy," or helping him roll out and cut the dough with cookie cutters.
Yes, there's a bit of educational value (I look for it in everything!) to him using his small motor skills to measure, stir, roll and cut. But I think the bigger picture here was the time I spent with my little man making memories that will last a lifetime!
And for the practical side... here's my recipe!

Homemade Play dough
2 Cups flour
2 Cups water
1 Cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
Food coloring (optional)
Spices (optional... I usually add this to my flour first)
Mix in a pot on the stove over low heat until it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Knead. Have fun!

4 comments:

  1. This one sounds nice:) I'm going to do with pumpkin spices today!

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  2. We made this around Thanksgiving, too fun. My poor hubby came home from work thinking he was getting pumpkin pie :) I plan on making some playdough, adding peppermint extract, for Christmas presents.

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  3. We just made some. It's been too long since we last did this- my youngest didn't remember ever doing it. (I think it's been about a year.) Tonight was the first time to add spices and it turned out great. We added nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, and almond extract. My recipe is about half the size of yours and calls for 1 pkg. of dry Koolaid mix which gives it color and scent. Can I link back to your blog? Jennifer homeschoolblogger.com/greensburg

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  4. yay, yay, yay! i need to do this with my gang! i remember those summer play-dough afternoons, the white-painted picnic table, and tents made with the sheets hanging on grandma's clothesline!!!

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