Playing with Playdough

Earlier this week, the kids and I embarked on an adventure to "Playdough School." Actually, it was a playdough make & play class offered at a local children's store.  G-Bear and E-Bear are pretty good at playing with playdough, so I was the real student at the class.  Believe it or not, I had never made playdough before, and I was really excited for the opportunity to learn.  I now wonder why I waited so long.  Making homemade playdough is the best thing in our house since homemade granola.

The recipe we used made the softest, smoothest, freshest feeling playdough I have ever felt.  It took our instructor 5 minutes to make it.  It used nothing but cheap, pantry staples.  It was like a dream come true!  Because it was a cooked playdough, so it came off of the stove quite warm.  Kneading the warm playdough is incredibly calming and therapeutic.  Making playdough might be the perfect activity after a long, stressful day!

When we got home, we dumped out all of our playdough gadgetry and set to work again.

We had been encouraged to store our homemade playdough in the refrigerator to preserve its freshness.  Playing with our playdough straight from the fridge was the perfect antidote to the hot, sticky weather.

Here is the super-easy recipe we learned at the class.

Homemade Playdough

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 c water

2 Tbs oil

1 tsp food coloring

Wisk together the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large saucepan.  Combine the water and oil and then add water mixture to dry mixture gradually.  Cook over medium to high heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms.  Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly and then add food coloring.  Knead on wax paper until smooth.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  

Talk about great summer learning!  We'll give this class an "A+" !