homemade playdough

 Play-Doh brand playdough stinks for a reason. It is full of fragrances and preservatives. Luckily, we can easily make playdough at home, from scratch, in less than 30 minutes. It will last if stored properly and is non-toxic and budget-friendly.

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup salt
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
1.625 cups water (1 1/2 + 1/8)
3 tablespoons oil (vegetable)
food coloring (any will do, but I used Wilton gel food coloring)

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large pot until no lumps remain. Whisk in the wet ingredients (except for the food coloring) and stir until no lumps remain. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes until a dough forms. Make sure you are stirring here. You don't want it to burn on the bottom of the pan. It goes quick and really strengthens that arm muscle. Separate into portions and add a little bit of food coloring (you can always add more later), kneading until uniform in color. I initially kneaded on some wax paper so that I wouldn't stain my counters and then moved to the counter once it was slightly incorporated. Store in airtight containers.

I used red, blue, green and yellow because we have been working on colors lately and I didn't want to confuse him with burgundy and teal. But I could have made any assortment of awesome colors.