The Best Playdough Ever?

best homemade playdough recipe

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Earlier this year I did an experiment with different playdough recipes I found on Pinterest, trying to find the one that was the ultimate.

The first one, made with Jell-o, I loved, but it got moldy after a couple of months.

The second one had Kool-Aid, and I liked that one pretty well, but the consistency was a little rubbery, and we left most of it out overnight and it got dried out.

The third was a no-cook version and I pretty much hated everything about it.

In fact, my favorite playdough recipe so far wasn’t even part of the throwdown; it was the chocolate playdough I made as part of the Bit’s Valentines for school.

So today I decided, since we’re running low on playdough again, that I would try that recipe with Kool-Aid instead of the cocoa powder and see if I could make the best playdough ever, at least in my mind.

best homemade playdough recipe
Is this the best playdough ever? Only time will tell.

I didn’t take pictures of the process because by now I bet you all know how to make playdough.

What You’ll Need

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • a pack or two of Kool-Aid (I used one of grape but I think for this quantity two would be better)
  • 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
  • 4 drops glycerine (optional, for shine)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • heat-proof bowl and spoon

What You’ll Do

  1. Measure and combine dry ingredients.
  2. Add wet ingredients and stir.
  3. When it gets a little cool, knead on a piece of waxed paper on the counter to smooth it all out.

Assessment

We haven’t gotten a chance to play with this yet because I just made it today, but when I went downstairs a couple of hours after making it, I found a strange thing.

best homemade playdough
My dough dried out on top and was watery on the bottom. Hmmm...

The dough was really dry on top and the bottom of (and underneath) the waxed paper was wet. Like someone had poured water around. Now, I don’t think I poured water around, and I’m the only one in the house, so I don’t know if this dough started excreting water immediately upon cooling or what. But it’s something you might want to keep an eye on should you try this recipe. I kneaded it back into shape and put it right into a zip bag, so we’ll see.

The other thing I want to say off the bat about this recipe is that it’s huge. I just used the same amounts as the chocolate dough, but if I’d given it any thought I would have realized that’s more dough than any one child needs of a single color. If I were you and making this for a single small person, I’d halve the recipe and use a single packet of Kool-Aid. I think that would help both the quantity and the color.

This post is linked to Link & Learn at No Time for Flash Cards, Kids Get Crafty at Creative with Kids and Get Your Craft on at Today’s Creative Blog. Visit them for lots more crafty ideas!


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