Best Ever Homemade Play-Doh

I got this recipe from my Creativity in Early Childhood professor, Dr. Lisa Sielert. She's an early childhood educator and developed this recipe for her classroom because it's inexpensive enough that you can throw it out after a week or so (beneficial since play-doh can't be disinfected!) Using tempera paint for the liquid element is genius because the result is really bright, playful colors...perfect for the kiddos!

It's also easy and inexpensive enough that parents could make it and bring it to class. I got the tempera paint at Hobby Lobby for $1.77 per 16 oz. bottle, enough for 2 batches. It would be even cheaper if I could have waited for it to go on sale.

***Make it at least 2 days prior to playing with it so it has time to cure and it won't be as sticky.***

2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

1 cup liquid tempera paint

Scenting Agent, optional

Mix all ingredients together in a gallon-size ziploc bag, kneading well to combine. (You can have kids mix it by placing that zipper bag into another sealed gallon-size ziploc bag.) If it is humid, you WILL need to add more flour (I had closer to 3 cups because it was so humid the day I made mine.) I actually mixed mine in my Kitchen Aid mixer using the dough hook and it worked really well.

Scenting choices; choose one:

1-2 pkg. of unsweetened Kool-Aid mix

Several drops of food-grade extracts (almond, cinnamon, anise, raspberry, etc.)

Several drops of essential oils*

*Your kids also get the benefits of essential oils while they play! I used purple tempera and scented with lavender; fuchsia tempera and scented with Joy blend (a blend of several oils including rose, bergamot and Roman chamomile); and orange tempera and scented with Citrus blend. They smell fantastic!

Look at those gorgeous colors!  They're so vivid, it makes me wonder I ever tried to color it with food coloring!  If you make it, let me know how it turns out and how your kiddos like it!

This week, I'm linking up!

.