Playdough

I realized I wanted a new activity for center rotations that could help build letter recognition skills and be offered during activity time as well. Playdough fit the bill perfectly as it's also awesome for developing fine motor skills. The only problem was I'd already spent over half of my new teacher budget within the first half of the school year and buying playdough in bulk would surely leave another hefty dent. My mission, if I so chose to accept it, was to create a playdough center for under $10. Well, I did it, and quite easily!

I followed the following recipe and just doubled it, making two separate batches.

2 cups plain flour

1 cup salt

4 tsps cream of tartar

2 cups boiling water

2 tsps oil

food coloring

You just mix all the ingredients together until the playdough is the right consistency. Wait a little for the mixture to cool before kneading it with your hands. I used to work at my college's dining hall all through my undergrad so my hands are pretty much immune to heat.

I was really surprised at how easy (and fun!) the playdough was to make and from what I've read, it can last for months! You can't really tell from the picture but this recipe yields a lot of playdough. The most expensive item was the cream of tartar which was a little over $5. Everything else I was either able to buy for $2 or less or had lying around in the pantry already. Happy Monday everyone!