Play Dough--From Scratch

Hello Rain!  It is soooo nice of you to visit today!  We were hoping you would come soon, as we got our water bill in the mail the other day.  It wasn't pretty.

When we woke up to the sound of thunder this morning and an overcast sky, I actually breathed a sigh of relief and thought, "Maybe, maybe, it will rain."  And then it did.  Whew.  A much needed light rain has been with us off-and-on all day, and it has been so nice.  However, rainy days have the potential to be very boring, so as soon as the rain started falling, I started brainstorming things we could do inside.  

A few weeks ago on a particularly hot day that kept us inside, my Little Man and I made play dough.  I need to give a little background info on myself before I continue though.  Play dough is one of my least favorite things.  It always has, and still does, completely gross me out.  It stinks.  It's sticky.  It makes a mess.  In fact, I remember as a little girl, I would not go over to a friend's house anymore after she made me play with it.  Even when I taught kindergarten, I did not have it in my classroom.  My poor students were deprived of the creativity and enjoyment that goes along with play dough! I know it's good for little ones to play with.  It's good for fine motor development.  It builds creativity.  And supposedly it's fun.  When I found a recipe on Pinterest for homemade play dough, it intrigued me, and I decided we would try it, for Cooper's sake.  This has turned out to be mine and Cooper's new favorite thing! I like it because it doesn't stink (in fact, it smells really good!), it isn't sticky (more like modeling clay than typical play dough), and it's edible (although I doubt it tastes very good). Cooper loves it too, and it has held his attention longer than any other craft/special activity I've done with him.  We have cookie cutters, different sized containers, rulers, and other little things we use with it.  A favorite has been the tips to my icing bag.  We use them like stamps, and they leave neat shapes in the dough. We have played and played and played with this stuff!

Smelling, not eating.  In fact, he hasn't yet eaten any!

I love the way he sticks the tip of his tongue 
out when he's concentrating! 

When I saw the rain this morning, I decided it was time for some more play dough!  We still have our original blue play dough, and I bought a box of strawberry jello at the store the other day for red.  This stuff is so easy to make, and one of the reasons I like this recipe is because Coop can help me make it.  I love activities where kids are part of the whole thing!  

This was the only picture I could get of Cooper playing with his
play dough today, but it is a cute one!

For whatever reason, Cooper likes to pretend the play dough is a
band aid and put it on his "boo-boos" (which are also pretend)

Sadie enjoys eating it off the floor while we play.
It's a win-win for all!

My little buddy and me this morning: 

This little boy is my heart!

Play dough recipe:

• warm water – 1 cup
• white flour – 1 cup
• salt – 2 tbsp
• cream of tartar – 2 tbsp
• cooking oil – 2 tbsp
• Jello – 3 oz package (I buy the store brand jello)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan.  

Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until it thickens into a ball of dough.  This step takes a few minutes.  You'll know it's ready when you won't be able to stir anymore!

Once it has finished cooking, place the dough onto a floured surface and wait for it to cool some.

Once it is cool enough to handle, knead it, adding in flour until it is no longer sticky (I usually end up using at least a cup).  

When you are finished playing, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container (I put ours in a baggy and a container).  It will keep for at least a few weeks in the refrigerator.  If at any time it starts to be a little sticky, just add more flour!