Yes, just like you this isolation period has me desperate to find ways to entertain my 7 year old son. So desperate in fact- that I’m looking up easy playdough recipes online. Yup playdough recipes.
I had to repeat that sentence because I can’t quite believe it myself either.
I never thought the day would come when I would willingly allow this stuff into my house. I was totally that parent who would accidentally lose any playdough gifted to my son from well meaning relatives.
Oops, silly mummy (in the words of Peppa Pig)
‘Yes I know you really wanted that play dough son, I just can’t seem to find it anywhere right now . . . . ‘ Awful white lie I know. But needed for the greater good.
The greater good being my sanity. And playdough free carpets.
(By the way, if you’re reading this post COVID, and think gifting sets of brightly coloured playdough to the children in your life that are nearest and dearest to you is cute, it’s not. Stop it please).
I’m guessing if you’ve got this far, you’ve probably already gathered that I’m not much of a fan of playdough right? That up until recently it was on the banned list- no discussion . And now I suppose your next question will most likely be. . .What’s changed Medina?
Being in the grips of a pandemic (in particular one that has shut down schools, shops, restaurants, deliveries, schools, hotels, airports, Amazon Prime, schools . . did I mention schools?), that’s whats changed K . Playdough getting stuck in my carpet no longer feels like the end of the world (although did you know, there are tutorials for that too??). Also playdough helps builds sensory and fine motor skills. . .
Alright who am I kidding? I like playdough right now because it keeps my son entertained for long independent periods of time.
There I said it.
As you can imagine, there are lots of homemade playdough recipes on Pinterest. LOTS AND LOTS. I literally spent an hour going down a playdough rabbit hole ( a new experience for me, I’ll admit. This new search criteria even had Pinterest a little confused. Are you sure this is really what you want to be seeing on your profile right now? I felt it asking me) .
After about 10 mins of scrolling I realised that I was able to filter out a majority of recipes by ingredients. Which was helpful , because as I’m sure you have already experienced first hand, certain ingredients are like gold dust right now (cough flour, cough cough pasta) And its not like I can just pop out and get things either… like I said, times have changed. (We’re allowed out once per day for exercise but also should really just stay at home, our government instructs, sorry no suggests. We’re British you see. Everything is a polite suggestion)
So I’ve curated a selection of easy playdough recipes that use different ingredients, with the assumption that you’ll have at least one of these ingredients in your cupboards when you read this.
You can thank me later. For now…get cooking. Or what ever it’s called when you make playdough. Oh and don’t forget to involve your kids too. Apparently this counts as homeschooling.
EASY PLAYDOUGH RECIPES – MADE 7 DIFFERENT WAYS
1. PLAYDOUGH WITH JELLO
According to the reviews, this lasts for several months (for those that don’t know JELLO is a brand of gelatin used to make Jelly) See full recipe here
2. PLAYDOUGH WITH CREAM OF TARTAR
This one I’ve tried (see pictures) and its AMAZING! The playdough smells just like the playdough I remember playing with as a kid at school. See full recipe here
3. PLAYDOUGH WITH NATURAL FOOD COLOURING
A great idea if you don’t currently have food colouring or maybe just want to keep things as natural as possible. See recipe here
4. PLAYDOUGH WITH KOOL-AID
Since the Kool-Aid powder (which is just a powdered mix drink aimed at kids) is what gives the playdough it’s vibrant colors, you don’t need food coloring to dye the playdough. See recipe here
5. PLAYDOUGH WITH HAIR CONDITIONER
If your’e willing to sacrifice some of your hair conditioner (that will never be me) ,the this two ingredient recipe is for you! This playdough comes out silky and smooth – which is to be expected . . given it uses conditioner. If you have young children who have a habit of putting things in their mouth, I’m not sure how safe this would be though. See full recipe here
6. PLAYDOUGH WITH ESSENTIAL OILS
Homemade playdough with essential oils not only smells amazing, but it contains all the benefits of essential oils as well. Just make sure whatever oils you are using area age safe! See full recipe here
7. PLAYDOUGH WITH CORN STARCH (gluten free)
In case you are a gluten free family and don’t have things like flour in your household (and don’t want to use your last bottle of hair conditioner) See full recipe here
That’s all folks – 7 easy playdough recipes for a desperate parent! I hope you found this useful. And above all, sending you lots of positivity and love in these trying times. Totally get if you’d much rather hide in the toilet than make playdough right now. No judgement here. I’ve been there, literally . . 5 minutes ago ha!
HOW TO MAKE DIY WOODEN PUZZLES
HOW TO MAKE TIN CAN PENCIL HOLDERS
