Making Playdough

Yesterday afternoon, while Clark napped and the afternoon rains came, Curtis and I got bored. He wanted to make a craft but gave me a "no" to all my old standbys. So I had a light bulb pop over my head as I remembered the homemade playdough recipe that I had. It's the same recipe we used in my house when I was a child and it is very quick and easy. Basically you throw the ingredients into a pot and stir it over medium heat until it forms a ball. The fun part about making it with a preschooler is that he first gets to choose whatever color he wants and help stir before playing away the afternoon creating until his heart is contented.



Curtis decided to make blue playdough and had lots of fun stirring it on the stove.



He took this photo of me helping to stir once it got pretty stiff.



First he made some garages while I made cars to go in them. This is a reoccurring theme in our play now-a-days. He is such a boy, always focused on the garage and what goes in it.



Here he is with the alligator we made together.



And of course once Clark woke from his nap he had to get in on the fun too.

I would recommend this craft to any parent of a preschool looking for something cheap, easy, and fun to make on a rainy day. We have it now stored in a zip top bag and have already pulled it out a couple times since yesterday afternoon. Curtis was so proud of himself for making it that he has told almost everybody he has seen since, so it is also a wonderful and simple way to boost a little guy's confidence.

Playdough

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1 cup water (with 10 drops of food color added if you choose to color the dough) in a medium pot. Stir over medium heat until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to play with.