Play-Doh Fun for Everyone

Who doesn't love play-doh?  My favorite is the homemade kind.  I have the best recipe ever.  I actually think the recipe came from my mom.  When my youngest brother was in Kindergarten the parents took turns making play-doh for the classroom.  This recipe ROCK!  It is super easy to make and the texture is nice and smooth.  It lasts forever, as long as it is stored in a container.  I just use  Ziplock bags, or old frosting containers.

If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen me making my latest batch of play-doh.
kindergarten play-doh, play-doughm play-do, playdoh
Well, I wanted a dark blue play-doh.  the problem was, I didn't have enough blue food coloring, so I added just a touch of black, thinking that would turn my light blue a little darker.
play-doh recipe, kindergarten play-doh, play-doughm play-do, playdohplay-dough recipe kindergarten play-doh, play-doughm play-do, playdoh
As I kneaded the play-doh, it started turning dark, then darker, then black.  It was late and I just didn't feel like staying up to make another batch.  
play-doh recipe, homemade play-doughhome made play dough
 I thought for sure my kids would be grossed out by it, but NO, they thought it was really cool.
play-doh mats, play-dough mats for math
play-doh mats, play-dough mats for math
play-doh mats, play-dough mats for math
play-doh mats, play-dough mats for math
The mats are from my Play Dough Number Mats
I printed them on red card stock.  They can be printed on any color of paper you'd like.
play-doh mats, play-dough mats for math
Now for the recipe
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp. vegetable oil
  • Food coloring

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix the flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a large pot.
2. Mix water, a few drops of food coloring, and oil together in a bowl, then add to the dry ingredients. 
3. Cook the mixture for 3–5 minutes on low/medium heat while stirring constantly. Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of the pot as you stir. Add more food coloring if needed.
4. The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the pot and form a ball.
5. Take it out of the pot when it begins to have a VERY faint brown skin. Place it on a counter or cutting board.  
6. Knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth. 
7. When the dough is cool, store it in an airtight bag or container. I like to use frosting containers with color-coded labels.

Need some labels for your containers? 
These are free in my TpT store.
play-doh labels, play-dough labels FREE
You might also like
alphabet play-doh mats
alphabet play-doh matssight word play-doh mats


3 comments

Donna said...

I've added a dash of foodcoloring thinking it would make what I wanted and got similar results as you did. Luckily, the kids always ending up loving those strange colors!

Thank you for the playdoh freebie labels!

I blogged about playdoh recently, too. You can read about it here:

http://learningattheteachertable.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-power-of-playdoh.html

Lisa Kay said...

If you have a Kitchen Aide you can let it do the kneading for you!

Tiffani said...

What a great idea Lisa, thanks- I do have a Kitchen Aid.