Playing with play dough!

Here is the playdough recipe I use.  I love working with playdough for so many reasons.  Children need to explore their world through their sense of touch, and playdough provides this important opportunity.  Working with playdough is great for fine motor skills as well.  Those little fingers get quite the workout when pushing, pulling, rolling, kneading, and sculpting with playdough!  My kids love using "loose parts" with their playdough; try adding straws, bread ties, bits of string, beads, plastic lids...all those odds and ends from the recycling bin or the junk drawer are tons of fun when added to a playdough sculpture, and using loose parts really encourages a child's imagination and ingenuity.  I read recently that the best toys are 10% toy and 90% child, or, put another way, the best toys are the ones that can become anything at any time, depending on what game the child is playing.  Playdough certainly fits this model.  Enjoy the recipe and have fun!

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

2.5 tsp. cream of tarter

2 cups cold water

Food coloring

Mix all the ingredients together in a large pot.  Cook over low/medium heat until the ingredients come together and form and stiff dough.  Stir constantly to prevent the mixture from burning.  When the dough is done, remove from heat and knead well.  You can add the food coloring before or after cooking, or add glitter, flower petals, fresh herbs, cinnamon, etc.  The dough will keep for several months stored in an airtight container.