How to Make Playdough

Playdough, don't we all love it? At least until the lid is left off again and you have to buy yet another batch of the stuff. I didn't realise how easy playdough is to make until I stumbled across a post on an obscure forum recently, so I thought that I would share the trick with the readers of hubpages. Follow the simple instructions on this hub to make your own in a matter of minutes!

You will need the following ingredients to make your playdough (how much is up to you, as long as you stick to the basic ratio):-

• 2 Cups flour
• 2 Cups of Warm Water
• 1 Cup of Salt
• 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon of Cream of Tartar (optional but extra elastic!)
• Food Colouring (any type)
• Scented Oils

Mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan and stir occasionally over a low heat, continue until thickened and looks a bit like mashed potatoes. When the dough has clumped together and pulled away from the sides, remove the pan from the heat. If the Playdough is still sticky then you need to heat for longer! If it is not sticky then it is fine!

Put the dough, once ready, onto your counter or your usual smooth surface and knead continuously and vigorously until it becomes really smooth and silky. Divide the dough up into different balls for colouring. E.g. if you have three different food colourings then divide into three, if you have four different food colourings then divide into four!

Stick one finger into the centre of each ball and put some food colouring in, fold the dough over so that the dye is trapped and then work the food colour through the dough with your hands. Try and keep the raw dye away from your hands or the counter (sometimes easier said then done). I would recommend using plastic gloves or wrapping the dough in cling film at this stage, unless you want to have hands like a smurf / a leprechaun / Satan (delete appropriately depending on the colour!). Continue to work the dye through, add more colouring if necessary. The dye will not stain in small concentrations, only the pure stuff.

Your playdough is now ready to play with, make monsters, etc etc.... I don't need to tell you what to do with it.

When you have finished playing with it, just store in an air tight container to prevent it from drying out. If it does begin to dry out, simply add a little water and kneed again until silky smooth once more. Sometimes, I am sad to say, your playdough will dry out just a little too much.... and when this happens you need to make some more. Don't cry when this happens, he was a happy monster.

You should now have the skills to make as much playdough as you wish, in all sorts of wierd and wonderful colours..... I feel as if my job is done here. Have fun!

NOTE:-This playdough is entirely kid safe and completely edible, it will taste disgusting - particularly due to the large amounts of salt - but wont cause any damage.

Having had a look around on google for playdough recipes, it seems that many people have their own way of making playdough. There were also some useful videos of people using slightly different techniques, you may find these videos useful so I have put them on here!