Many of our Sugar Plum families enjoyed my last post about the value of playing with playdough. I thought a fun follow-up would be to share my recipe for homemade playdough.
I'm not opposed to the commercial playdough, but many parents do wonder what's inside. (According to Hasbro, the original manufacturer of Playdough and their 2004 patent, their ingredients include: "water, a starch-based binder, a retrogradation inhibitor, salt, lubricant, surfactant, preservative, hardener, humectant, fragrance, and color" In addition, they say that they include "a petroleum additive [that] gives the compound a smooth feel, and borax [to] prevent mold from developing"). I'm always a big fan of being able to pronounce and understand ingredients, and so I found a way to make playdough at home with ingredients you likely have around the house.
One last note: while we never want to see children eat playdough, a homemade version doesn't have any ingredient that would cause an issue if it happened. The same can't be said for commercial playdough and you should immediately contact Poison Control if your child eats commercial playdough.
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mix all in saucepan over low heat mixing with wooden spoon. It will be lumpy until all liquid dissolves.
Watch it thicken.
Add food coloring (I prefer gel food coloring)
Continue to stir until it becomes like "playdough" and it is no longer wet.
Remove from heat. Let cool for 30 minutes. Knead into a ball.
Store in ziploc bags or other airtight container. It does not need to be refrigerated.
Happy playing!