Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Playdough

Today's minor achievement was making a batch of playdough for Little Cherub. I have a tried and tested simple, non-messy playdough recipe that I have used for years ...

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tbsp cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water
1 tbsp cooking oil
food colouring

Method
Mix the salt, flour and cream of tartar together.
Add the boiling water, cooking oil, and food colouring.
Using rubber gloves, knead a few times.

That's all there is to it! When you start kneading it feels like a sticky disaster, but soon resolves into a nice, soft playdough. I omit the food colouring. My daughters have always been more interested in what they can do with playdough than in what colour it is, and it means there is no risk of staining clothes, furniture or carpets. If the dough gets onto soft furnishings it brushes out easily once dried, and it washes out of clothes. Stored in the fridge in a plastic bag it will keep for months.

The recipe comes from a book I picked up at railway station bookstall discount pile when Angel was small - Four Seasons: Creative Activities for Young Children, by Alice Traer Wayne, Shirley Charlton, and Gwenn Boechler. Published in Canada, I have no idea how it turned up at Euston Station, but I am glad it did as we have used it a lot over the years. The activities are divided by season, and are mostly simple and use items I usually have to hand.

Encouraged by Star and A-next-door, Little Cherub was a picture of concentration, absorbed in the possibilities of picking bits of dough off a large ball and piling them up on each other. She only tried to eat it a few times.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey! We just made playdoh 2 days ago....and mine are 12 and almost 10! LOL!

Btw, how do I "subscribe" to your blog to be notified of new posts?

Catherine

coffeemamma said...

I *love* that book! I've had it since my oldest was small (and she's almost 18!).

Anonymous said...

Hey, we used to use that recipe too! I wonder if I picked it up in Canada? I used to make it light green, the colour of our carpet, which was under the only table in the house! {vbg}

Karen Edmisten said...

Very similar to our recipe, but mine uses Kool-Aid, too, which does add color and scent.

You're never too old for homemade play-dough!

Suzanne Temple said...

This is the recipe I use too. My mother made it for me when I was small. I can remember the smell of hot play-dough.