A smooth ball of bright blue homemade play dough on a white plate.

Play Dough

By John R. Beckett

My wife had to make this play dough occasionally for the co-op preschool years ago. It makes a lot, and it's excellent quality.

Cook it as shown. It gets thicker as it cools, so don't judge the texture too soon.

Ingredients

A big batch, plenty for a preschool classroom.

  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups salt
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
  • Food coloring

Method

  1. Heat all the ingredients together over medium heat, stirring until a dough-like consistency forms. About 5 minutes.
  2. Knead it on waxed paper.
  3. Vary the scent, color, and texture as you like: swap the food coloring for three packets of sugar-free Kool-Aid, add some glitter, or stir in sand.

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