But does it TASTE the same???

Dude! What's the recipie for that?

Homemade Play Dough Recipe
- courtesy my Mom

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups water
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons oil (i.e. Wesson)
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
Food coloring

Directions:
Mix everything up in a pot. Include the food coloring at this point to make the batch all one color. If you want to make different colors, you'll have to divide up the dough after it's cooked and knead in the food coloring. Note: Your hands will get stained if you mix in the coloring after the dough is made.

Put the pot on the stovetop on medium, stir and cook it until it looks right (i.e. turns doughy.) Take it off and knead it to make sure it's all mixed together and you're ready to play.

Disclaimer:
Looking at the ingredients, this is probably pretty non-toxic but I wouldn't let your kid eat too much of it. Good luck!

Looks like she popped it straight out of her microwave!

Okay, I have to get a better look at that adorable apron she's wearing! Where did you get that?!?

Does it smell just as good? I love the scent of play-doh. I MAY have a little can of it at home just so I can sniff it once in a while. But I won't admit it.

I love her thoughtful expression! Trixie is sooooooo precious!

Wow... that's a lot more work than how my grandma used to make it! LoL.

We just mixed up some flour, water, oil and a dash of salt until it was about the right texture. Then mix in the food coloring w/some gloves on.

Ben, did Trixie "help" make the Play Dough? I was considering making a batch as a project with the three year old twins that I watch...do you think that's a foolish idea? I envision agreeing on a color to be the most difficult part!

michele: She's actually wearing overalls. I'm sure they will show up in another TPOD before too long.

Becky: Neither Trixie nor I helped make the play dough. I've never done it before. This batch was made by my mom. If anyone tries out the recipe, please let us know how it goes.

Ben, I taught preschool for a number of years - this is the same recipe I used as well. It is pretty straightforward, but I always used my "crummy" pots for it, just in the off-chance that something might go awry. It was certainly cheaper for me to make it than to keep buying it! Sometimes, we would add glitter to it (we made plain dough with glitter so we could make snowmen)...always a hit when that happened. The stuff lasts a good long while, too. I kept it in ziplocs, and once it started smelling "different" (either from age or from too many little hands, not sure which!), it was time to toss and make a new batch!

Forgot to add - there's also a no-cook version of playdough. It isn't as smooth as the cooked version, doesn't last as long, but kids can make it because there isn't any cooking involved. If you want the recipe, let me know.

Iloved making play dough with my daughter! She's 10 now but we used to use Kool Aid for the color and then we also got a different smell depending on what flavor. Smelled great, cuz the homemade doesn't have the REAL play dough smell.

I use to make play dough too, the recipe was a little simplier i think...I don't remember having that many ingredients but I don't quite remember it. I also knew how to make slime, or gak. I'm not sure I remember that either, I know it had glue in it. Anyway, I hope Tritsee had tons o fun.

Gak Recipe

Solution A:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups elmers white glue
Food coloring
Mix together until completely dissolved

Solution B:
4 teaspoons borax
1 1/3 cups warm water
Mix together until completely dissolved

Pour solution A into Solution B. Do not mix!
Lift Gak out and knead into shape.

Borax can be found in the laundry detergent section of a grocery store- such as "20 Mule Team"
If you are going to half the recipe... use only half of Solution A and mix the whole amount of Solution B. The results will be the same. This is important..This is the only way you can half the recipe. Do not double the recipe and do not reuse Solution B (the borax and water), use only Elmer's glue.

I've been checking out your site regularly for a couple months now, but this conversation finally brought me out to post. I've worked in child care for almost 8 years, so making play dough is not new to me. Neither is Gak. Just thought I'd mention the book The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions (1 & 2). It has a bunch of play dough, silly putty, gak, etc. recipes with more variations on them than you can imagine (coffee, anyone?). Some are probably a little advanced for Trixie's age, but the great thing about kids is they'll grow into them.

Great site! (Inspired me to start blogging, even)

Has she actually made an orange fish out of the play dough, or am I seeing things?

Judy: I'm sure that some readers might appreciate a no-cook recipe if you wanted to share it.

Barb: Isn't it hard enough to keep them from eating play dough ;)

Nina: She did have a lot of fun. She loooves her play dough.

Rayne of Terror: thanks for the gak. I'll stick up a TPOD if we make any.

Kat: looks like a fun book! (and I'm glad you like the site)

fish lover: sorry, it's just a wad of play dough :) She doesn't make anything except worms. And they usually look like wads of play dough too.

NO COOK PLAY DOUGH RECIPE:

(this is your basic no-cook recipe that most people probably remember - it is much grainier and not as smooth as the cooked version, but it is safe for kids to help!)

1 c. flour, 1/2 c. salt, 1/3 c. water, food coloring (I like the Kool-aid idea!). Mix all ingredients and knead until "smooth". Store in covered container.

I found this doesn't last as long as the cooked version, but hey, what playdough really lasts THAT long????

I remember that my mom made homemade dough from bread crumbs glue and something else. I will have to find the recipe. I remember that when we dind't use it that we but it in the fridge. And if you left the dough out it got super hard. So it was more for modling than anything.

An art teacher once told us if you keep the homemade kind (Ben's recipe) in a ziploc bag in the fridge it will keep forever. We've had a purple batch for nearly 4 years!! And...really there is nothing better than chilly play dough. Especially stepping on it barefoot! (hardwood floors only)

try adding dry unsweetened Kool-Aid powder to the play dough mix, instead of the food coloring -- then it smells really good!

You can also use Kool Aid to color it and then it has a fruity smell also.

She is so cute I wish i hade her. How much do you want for her just a joke

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

You are so coolI need your recipes

My grandmother also used to scent hers with almond extract, lemon extract, vanilla extract, or peppermint extract. :) We would fight over who got what scent when we played with it.

Here is a wonderful recipie from my kids playschool. It smells great with Kool-aid and lasts a long time in a container or ziploc bag.

Uncooked Playdough
2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp cream of tarter
2 cups boiling water

Colour with food coloring or Kool-aid.Combine dry ingredients including kool-aid. Add water and oil. Mix with spoon then by hand.

great idea

Hi
my lil 3 yr old Amy got some playdoh for christmas but when we opened it the whole lot had dried up much to her dissapointment- so we have just made the non-cook version and it was excellent as Amy got to make it herself and then play with what she had made. Unfortunatly the little shop had no food colouring so we had white playdoh so she has made snow men!!

We have just had a blinding rainy afternoon , and amy is impressed that she made the playdoh!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy new year

Rin and Amy