This morning, in honor of the start of Boycraft month, Jasper and I mixed up a batch of our favorite playdough. I know, I know, homemade isn't ever quite as smooth and nice as the store-bought stuff and doesn't have the distinctive scent but I swear that this recipe is really great. It's smooth, the color is beautiful, and it smells delicious. The secret? Jello. Seriously! I think that it has to do with the gelatin--this recipe produces a very smooth, not at all crumbly dough.
Now, Josie and I played with a lot of playdough, rolling it out carefully, using cookie cutters, making tiny plates of food...but Jasper and I take a different tack. We play rough. We smash it down on the table and whack it with a rolling pin and our hands to make hills and various terrain. Then, we take our significant collection of little plastic animals and trees and stick them in (the added benefit is that they stand up...which they won't do on the floor).
The best part is when we pull the animals out and observe the prints that they leave behind. The elephants leave big round prints, the moose and horses leave hoofprints, and the dinosaurs leave, well, dinosaur prints. Finally, we drive our little cars, trucks and tractors around on it at check out the prints that they each leave.
Jello Playdough
1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
2 Tbsp. oil
1 c. water
1 small box Jello (any flavor/color)
Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and mix. Stir continuously over medium heat until forms and changes color slightly. Remove from heat, let cool a bit, then knead well. Store in an airtight container.
So what fun are you up to with the boys in your life? Head over to the Month of Boycraft post and share a link or comment!
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