In honor of Valentine's Day, S and I decided to make strawberry scented pink playdough.
And oh boy, does it smell delicious! For this reason, I'd recommend only doing the scented doughs with children old enough to understand that it still isn't for eating (there's so much salt in there, I doubt it would be palatable, but just in case!). I'd heard of using Duncan Hines Frosting Creations flavor mixes from Play Create Explore, and we thought we'd try it out.
We decided to use our favorite playdough recipe. We generally at least double this recipe to make a big bunch of playdough all at once. Once it's made, so long as you keep it in a sealed container, it lasts several weeks. You'll need a saucepan or skillet pan, and we just measure all the ingredients directly into that.
1 cup flour
1 cup water (dissolve 1-2 packets of frosting creations into the water)
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 tbsp of oil
The amount you see below is double the above recipe.
An older child can help you pour and measure, but even younger toddlers can help pour measured ingredients into the pan.
Once you have all the ingredients in the pan, be sure to spend a good amount of time stirring. To get nice smooth playdough, you'll need to get all the lumps out now. Once you have a nice smooth mixture, go ahead and start heating it on low-medium on your stovetop. If you have an older child who understands stove safety, they can help you stir.
Keep stirring for several minutes until the mixture starts to thicken into dough. It will still be sticky - that's OK - but this is the point to transfer it to a table top.
Once it's on a tabletop, you can knead or roll it with your hands until it is no longer sticky. S and I prefer to break off smaller chunks so it is easier to work with.
Once it's no longer sticky - you're done! And it's now ready to play with. S created a man with funny hair and a giant nose (we like to break out the googly eyes when we're playing with playdough), an "M" cookie for Mama, and a tiny hotdog. She's now used the giant ball of playdoh to create a little world for some of her plastic toys.
Though we've made playdough ourselves several times now, I really must say adding the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations is amazing! Our house and hands smell delicious, and the added bonus is that the dye is in the powder mix, so you don't have to add any food coloring or liquid watercolors! We used one packet and had doubled the playdough recipe.
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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
thought it was gluten free ??
ReplyDeleteHi there,
DeleteWe do have two gluten-free dough recipes (but this is not one of them). You can find them here:
http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/11/edible-gluten-free-no-cook-playdough.html
http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/09/no-cook-gluten-free-edible-pumpkin-pie.html
How long is this good for and does it need to be refrigerated?
ReplyDelete4-6 months and nope - just needs to be stored in an airtight container. :)
DeleteGreat recipe and colorful too :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteA friend sent me the gluten-free recipe and I am now totally hooked on your website! :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wanted to make playdough for my 17 month old boy.
1.) Would this be your favorite of all of your homemade playdough recipes?
2.) I looked through your post and didn't see when we are supposed to add the frosting creations mix...? I assume that you are supposed to add the whole packet?
Thanks for all your wonderful ideas!
YAYY!!! I love hearing that! :)
Delete1. Hmmm, probably yes. There's actually a MORE favorite scented version of this recipe in my book - but this is the base recipe we use most often. :)
2. Ah, yes - I definitely didn't explain that well here (whoops!). Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk/mix, then add all the wet and mix until there are no lumps and THEN cook it. And yes, definitely add the full packet. It smells SOOOO good. :)
Hope that helps and so glad you found us!!!
Hi,
DeleteYou ROCK for getting back to me so quickly!
1.) Great. I will use this in the meantime and make sure to check out your book! Can't wait to see the look on my son's face hehe... I better keep the camera handy. :)
2.) Thanks! That definitely helps.
I am so glad too! I enjoy creating things from home for my son and using everyday items to create extraordinary experiences. I was so inspired with your site. And I just love-love-love the photos. Very great quality btw, but your two little stars shine so bright. S and X are just adorable and so far I have had several big lol moments! Thank you! :)
Yes, definitely have the camera ready! I hope he has a blast! :) :) And thank you so much for your kind comments! :) :) :)
DeleteHi again! So another Mama did the gluten-free playdough so I delayed making it myself (which my son totally ignored- and I had the camera ready and everything! Ah well)... and then my son and I had our very own "snow day" (aka really cold and snowy outside and I didn't want to go out) so I went ahead and make this. I did not have the strawberry packet so I just added some shakes of our "pumpkin pie seasoning" and since I wasn't sure that would be strong enough, added some ground cloves as well. Well, it worked, a little too well as I put it out and my son kept trying to eat it! It really did smell amazing and worked great. I will never go back to regular-ole-playdough again! Fast-forward to enough times of "not in your mouth" and me playing with it in front of him and he now will touch it a little (and try to lick his fingers- salty!) and read the letters I shape. Fun times! I got a lot of laughs out of it and am so glad I made it as it was easy and worked well. Whew. Waaaay long post here but want to say THANKS! :)
DeleteHOORAAAYY!!!! So glad to hear it worked for you! Isn't it an awesome playdough recipe? It's been around for like 2 decades now, and I'm like you - I love the soft texture so much I'll never go back to storebought! So glad you two had fun with it and I love that you made it fall-scented! :)
DeleteGreat recipe and had a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! So glad to hear it, Lorenka!
DeleteIf we were going to use liquid watercolors instead of the strawberry scented mix - when would we add the coloring and how much should we use? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAdd it to the water - and how much will depend on how bright you want it to be... I'd say anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon. Hope that helps! :)
DeleteHi Asia.
ReplyDeleteThe classic version of this playdough is the exact recipe I used to make with *my* kids about 25 years ago! I'm so happy to have found this recipe again after so many years.
Today I made a quadruple batch for playing with my grandsons. It's just as I remember - thank you!
That is amazing!!!! I think sometimes you just can't improve upon perfection! Whoever thought it up is a genius for sure - it's the best playdough ever.
DeleteI made this yesterday and it was beautiful, coloured it green with food dye and cinnamon for the smell, but today I open it out and pull a bit off for my boy and I am instantly a Shrek monster as it was so sticky. What did I do wrong and can it be rectified? I wrapped it in cling film to keep it moist but have now left it open in the hope it will miraculously recover. Any thoughts gratefully received xxx
ReplyDeleteDid you use cream of tartar? Without it the playdough gets sticky FAST.
DeleteYou never mention when to add the frosting mix and how much?
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry! I'll fix that now. 1-2 packets (2 packets is the best scent) and dissolve it in the water. Sorry again for the omission!
Delete