Homemade Playdough
I love playdough. I have so many fond memories of playing with it as a child and really wanted to create a cheap and safe version for my two to play with. I have tried a lot of recipes over the last year and I was thrilled to see how much they used their imaginations but I disliked needing to remake it every two or three days.
I started making the playdough this way a few months ago and I have now perfected it. The best thing about it is that it lasts for ages! I mean ages in terms of homemade playdough; the last lot I made is still going strong after three weeks which is better than anything else I’ve tried so far. I just pop it in a tupperwear at the end of the day and then pull it back out the next.
This recipe uses things you are likely to already have at home and if not, are reasonably cheap to get hold of. I also used food colourings I had leftover from Christmas and birthdays which otherwise would have sat forgotten about in the back of the cupboard. Once made, I just add some fun cookie cutters and it becomes a frugal and fun toy to make that has kept them entertained and using their imagination for a few hours every day for weeks now. They started with just the cutters and have now moved on to making 3D ducks and Winnie the Pooh characters. I adore how much they are learning through play with this toy.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of plain flour
- 1/4 cup of salt
- 1/2 tsp cream of tarta
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/2 tbsp of oil
- 1/2 tsp food colouring
Method
- Measure your flour, salt and cream of tarta into a bowl.
- Measure your water, oil and food colouring into a jug.
- Mix the liquid ingredients slowly into the dry ingredients until you have a smooth but runny paste.
- Pour it into a saucepan over a medium heat and stay with it (honestly, it’ll turn on you – keep an eye on it!).
- Stir it. It will get to a point where you feel like it’s all gone completely wrong, but keep stirring.
- Once it’s at the point where you think it is almost ready (when you touch it it’s slightly sticky and you wonder if it needs a minute longer) take it off the heat and leave on a plate to cool. I’ve found if you heat it until it is completely stick free it gets dry and cracks much easier.
- Once cool, give to your littlies and let their imaginations run wild.
I hope you give this a try and enjoy the joys of playdough as much as we do. I’d love to know how the recipe works for you and what colours you make. Please do leave us a comment or tag us on Instagram @foxandlockes so we can see.
All the best,
Livvy and Summer
