A Recipe for Fun - Play Dough

Sometimes the most popular recipes aren't the ones for meals you've planned. Recently at a session of Great Late Start, we made play dough and the kids were asking for the recipe to make at home.
When I made it with my grand daughter, she was delighted to have her own batch. It is also fun to see how the consistency changes as you dissolve the salt and mix in the flour. If it doesn't get to the 'kneading' consistency with 1 cup of flour, just keep adding more until you can handle the play dough without it being too sticky. Any lumps will work out with the kneading.

COLORED PLAYDOUGH

1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 cup flour (white all-purpose)
food coloring

Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar and food coloring on a saucepan and heat until warm. Continue to stir and heat until salt is dissolved.
Removed from heat and add flour.
Stir, then knead until smooth. You may need to add more flour to make it firm enough to knead. It seems that several factors affect this, such as humidity. Keep stirring and kneading in dough until it is not too sticky for little fingers.
The cream of tartar makes the dough last 6 months or longer, so don't omit it.
Store the dough in an airtight container or a sealed plastic bag.

keep mixing in flour until the right consistency is reached

kneading - fun for little hands

It makes enough for several play activities or to share with a friend. 

Good practice for learning to use a knife - plastic, of course!

Or a child-sized rolling pin.

Or just playing with shapes.