How to Make Play Dough

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How to make your own play dough that can be stored and played with again and again. The recipe we have used makes quite a lot of play dough so if you want to make lots of different colours you might want to divide the quantities in half.

You will need:
1 cup of plain flour
Half a cup of salt
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
1 cup of water
Food colouring
2 tablespoons of oil
1 saucepan
1 wooden spoon
Measuring cups/spoons
Plastic bags for storage
Plus 1 grown-up helper

Making the play dough
1. In the saucepan mix together the flour, salt and cream of tartar
2. Mix in the water and stir until the mixture is smooth
3. Stir in the food colouring, adding a few drops at a time until the colour looks right, then add the oil and stir well
4. Ask your grown-up helper to cook the mixture over a medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid overcooking the dough
5. When the dough is a thick enough consistency and comes away from the sides of the pan remove the saucepan from the heat
6. Transfer the dough to a heat-resistant surface and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes

When the play dough has cooled down it is ready to use. To make sure your play dough stays fresh wrap it in a plastic bag and secure tightly, stored properly play dough can last for months or even years.