Play Dough

I don't know about where you live, but in my area of the country Spring hasn't decided to fully arrive. Sure we get teased with beautiful sunshiny days hours, but it doesn't take long for gloomy rain clouds and cold wind to come back. So what should a mom do when the end of Spring Break has to be enjoyed inside? Well, make play dough of course!

I have always made regular old salt dough for my kiddos to play with, but I wanted something that was less sticky to work with and feels more like the stuff that comes out of the little tubs you buy at the store. The recipe I made is smooth, not sticky and the color is vibrant thanks to my gel food colors that we used. It was a lifesaver at my house yesterday. I was in awe that such simple ingredients could bring all three of the kids together for quiet play time and even better....they got along! Had I known the magic powers of home made play dough I would have made it a long long LONG time ago! There are recipes all over the internet that are similar to mine, but I took this recipe from my work cookbook that was hiding in my cupboard. I hope you and your family ENJOY!

Play Dough
Recipe Source: Tree of Hope Cookbook

**This recipe is easily doubled or tripled!
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 T oil
food color (If you want bright color I recommend food gel color)

Combine the dry ingredients in a pan. Combine water, oil, and food color. Stir colored water into dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Place on stove and stir constantly over medium heat. When the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and come together, removed from pot and let cool a few minutes. It should be sort of rubbery in texture. Once cool enough to handle, knead until the consistency of play dough. If it is still sticky, knead some flour into it. When not in use, wrap well in plastic and store in the refrigerator.
**Cook's note-Though made with all natural ingredients this isn't a dough that should be eaten. There is a very high salt content. Keep an eye on kids and pets when in use.**