getting our hands dirty

This week we decided to get our hands dirty with play dough. We’ve made it before but I was reminded how much we love it after reading this post at Sew Liberated. I dreamt of making it in multiple different colours, scented with different essential oils until I checked my box of cream of tartar…only enough for one batch. The vote for peppermint blue won and we’ll restock for next time.

This is such a simple recipe – even with four helpers elbowing up to the pot. In less than 15 minutes we were digging our hands into the lovely, warm dough. So therapeutic! The best part: quiet play, no fighting and forgotten cabin fever for a solid hour.

Play Dough

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Optional: food colouring (I used paste colour) and essential oil of your choice

Mix your dry ingredients in a pot, add the food colouring to the water and pour over the dry ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 4 – 6 minutes, stirring constantly. It looks a little worrying at times – very lumpy – but then suddenly you see a dough beginning to form. Stir it a few more times until it no longer looks watery. Scoop it out onto wax paper or a counter, knead it a few times and you are done!

These hands were very eager to dive in!

The peppermint was so wonderful and, rather to my surprise, no one tried to eat it!

Such a nice way to stay warm inside on a cold winter day.