Play Dough Recipe & Memorial Day

It sure has been a long time. What can I say, but we've been really busy. we've been in the house for a year and are still painting. Yup, our big plans for Memorial Day: Painting the living room, dining room and second floor hallway. I'm looking forward to the finish product. Benjamin Moore Philadelphia Cream from wood ceiling to floor. Hope it turns out! My next project will be to dye the slipcover on the couch as a temporary fix until I can make a new slipcover.

Bean is about to graduate from preschool. We've had all the transition meetings with her teachers and she's pretty dang excited - although I'm sure going to miss those wonderful teachers she's been with the past two years. I have great confidence in the Kindergarten teacher and really like her, but no one can hold a candle to Miss Eileen, Miss Kristine and Miss Erin - who have brought our Bean so far.
OK - now for something fun. I made play dough and loaded it up with glitter. Bright green and sparkly. And Minty - I added extract. Yay, sensory integration!
I have a love-hate relationship with play dough. My kids
love it. I mean, they really love it. When they play with it, I get an hour or so to make dinner, fold laundry, or clean the kitchen. Why I hate it: my kids refuse to clean it up. Gotta take the good with the bad, right?

With that said, we go through a lot in our house; it is incredibly easy to make and inexpensive, especially considering the yield.

The Recipe

4 c. flour

4 c. water
1 c. salt
2 Tbsp + 2 tea cream of tartar
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
Food coloring (I used a whole dropper bottle – use what you
want for the color you want!)
2 Tbsp peppermint extract (other extracts and essential oils
work well, too! Play around with amounts to get the smell you want)
1 tube craft glitter

Put the first 5 ingredients into a pan and mix well with a whisk until smooth.

 Add food coloring as necessary to reach desired hue. With large batches like this it can take a lot for a deeper or more vibrant color.

Add essential oils, spices or extracts to attain desired scent. Mix well.

Put pot over medium heat and stir with a sturdy spoon. You don’t want to use a whisk for this.

The play dough will start clumping and get very stiff. Keep going, and going, and going until the concoction is no longer sticky or viscous.

Turn out hot play dough onto a counter and knead. IT WILL BE HOT! Please use your judgment and don’t burn yourself.

When smooth, form into a ball and knead in the glitter in 2-3 portions.

When cool, store in air tight container or bag. Our play dough usually lasts about 2 months. If it starts looking dry, spray a little water in the bag, let it sit, then knead.

Ta-Da!