A great rainy day activity, homemade gift, or fun homeschool project. Check out this easy Homemade Playdough recipe

This week we are doing something a little different. This isn't an edible recipe, but one that I am a firm believer everyone should have on hand! Homemade playdough is made with ingredients that you have in your pantry and costs pennies compared to what you buy at the store. OH....but the smell of Playdough! Sorry, this playdough smells good, but not like the store bought stuff. That is the only downfall.

Some of you know that I Homeschool my crew. Some days it can be challenging because I don't get to send them off for a few hours. On the other hand, It is rewarding for the same reasons. I get to see every little spark that their brains make when they learn something new. I get to see all of their accomplishments, and dissapointments. While it can be exhausting, at the end of the day it is totally worth it!

Today, I was working with my son on writing his letters. He doesn't like to sit down and learn things with a pencil and paper. He is a doer! So, we decided to get our hands dirty and make some play dough. That way, he can make letters with the play dough. Fun and Educational! I even had a bigger brain storm. I am going to use the playdough to reinforce fractions with my 8 year old! Two birds, 1 ball of play dough!

How to Make Homemade Playdough

Mix all of the ingredients except the water in a medium sized pot. Mix in 2 cups water.

Cook over a low heat stirring constantly until it turns into PlayDough.It will take a few minutes to thicken and turn into dough.

It will look like this when you need to take it off the heat. Almost like really thick mashed potatoes. Allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then, lightly flour the counter top or other work surface. Turn out the playdough and knead until smooth.

Divide dough into 4 (or more) if desired.
Place about 7 drops of food coloring in the center of a piece of dough. ( You can add more or less if desired.)

Use your hands to fold the dough over and work the color into it.

Store dough in sealable containers. Which I have a ton of from lunch meat. If you don't have any empty containers, store in a ziploc.

You could scent the playdough by adding essential oils. These also make great little gifts. Put the playdough in a cute little container. Or you could even give a small amount as a party favor in little bags tied up with ribbon. The possibilities are endless.

Playdough Tips

Here is a great mom tip. To avoid the playdough getting stuck to the table cover it with brown painters paper. Where do you get it? I got this huge roll at Lowes for about $10. I have had it for about 3 years! It is about time to get a new one. We put it down before we paint, or just to draw on. It is great stuff.

How long are you able to store it?

Good question. It is kind of like, "How many licks until you get to the center of a tootsie pop?" The longest my kids have taken care of it properly...By putting it back with the lid securely closed is about 6 months. As long as you keep it in an airtight container it should last just like regular playdough!

Does the food coloring stain the kids hands?

Nope...just mine while I mixed it up. It washed right off. The worst offender was the yellow. I sill have a spot on my hand from that one. The kids are clean! You can actually use a little bit of lemon essential oil and it will come right off.