Summer is the perfect time of year to play together while getting messy, and making natural playdough gives you the opportunity to do just that. I love this project because it’s easy, fun for all ages and allows for experimentation and discovery. It is also eco-friendly.
If you have a garden, or like to make juice, be on the lookout for vibrant fruits and vegetables to add natural color to your dough!
Materials
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 cup water
4 T cooking oil
4 1/4 T cream of tartar
Carrot, beet, spinach juice (or other juice or spices)
Wax paper (optional)
Start by adding flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil to a bowl. Mix them together with a spoon until blended well. Note: I forgot to add cream of tartar and at first I didn’t notice. When I made a second batch I noticed that the one without cream of tartar was stickier. I say experiment with your measurements and see what your kids like best.
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often until it becomes solid. Place the dough on wax paper or a plate. Once cool, knead it until smooth.
We used our juicer to make beet, carrot and spinach juice.
This turned out to be a healthy art project, too, as my little guy decided to drink the juice before we mixed it into the dough. (Although please note that this playdough recipe would not be good to eat!)
Play around with different fruit and vegetable juices and spices to see what kinds of colors you can come up with. Mix the juice into the dough with your hands. I let the dough sit overnight in a sealed tight container and it really helped the colors to soak in. If you don’t mind making several small batches, you might experiment with adding the juice to the water before cooking.
As long as you keep it sealed, this playdough will last awhile, however, when you are finished using or it dries out, simply add it to the compost pile.
Now, enjoy the mess, have fun playing and let your imaginations go!
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Shannon Kinney-Duh is the mother of two imaginative boys that make her laugh every day. She loves getting her hands in the dirt, playing with paint and trying new things. When she’s not with her boys, she’s creating e-courses (like Mothering with heART) and blogging. Stop by for a visit at Free Spirit Knits.
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