Play Dough {{DIY}}

My sister-in-law sent me these photos of my adorable nephew playing with play dough she had made at home, and it was immediately obvious we needed some of that stuff in our lives, too.

Sure, I could have run to Target where I would have most likely put a huge dent in our bank account buying things I don't need, but convinced myself that I do, and picked up a couple canisters, but what is the fun in that? Not to mention, when I saw the 'ingredient' list to actually make play dough it seemed silly to pay for something when I had all the necessary items already in my kitchen.

Homemade Play Dough

What you'll need:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbsp veggie oil
2 tsp Cream of Tartar

Directions:
Add all ingredients into a 12-inch skillet.
Heat, on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, constantly stirring the mixture.
The mixture will go from a paste-like consistency to a very obvious play dough texture.
Flatten and stir repeatedly.
Cool.
Divide and add food coloring, mixing by hands.

To store:
Keep refrigerated in plastic ziplock baggies.
Besides being ridiculously easy to make, it's totally non-toxic. Though, after one quick taste-test I can tell you Marcus has yet to go back for seconds. 

Because Marcus isn't exactly the arts and crafts type I wasn't too worried about my minimal investment in this homemade entertainment device.

However, to my pleasant surprise, he was totally fascinated with the sculpting clay.

This has quickly become my go-to activity when I need Marcus to stay put for a few minutes.

Thanks Aunt Carolyn for the new found fun!