J-E-L-L-OOOOO!

Play dough is one of those simple childhood novelties that everyone has memories playing with. It is one of the best things that kids can play with #1- it’s CHEAP…hello Dollar Store #2- it ignites creativity #3- great for those fine motor skills necessary for writing and cutting, and #4- a great medium to practice things like counting, shapes, color, size, letters, and patterns.

We are play dough addicts in this house. I even carry a small fun size container of it in my diaper bag with a few accessories for traveling and restaurants. Since we are such enthusiasts I decided to try some of the pinterest recipes for homemade dough when Sean was 1. We have tried dozens of variations but the JELLO dough is our favorite. I found the recipe over at Modern Parents Messy Kids. It is soft and easy to handle, smells AMAZING, and easy to make. The only ingredients I didn’t have on hand was a box of JELLO and cream of tartar.

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar (found with spices in grocery stores)

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

1-      3oz package of any flavor JELLO

Process:

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan until combined (will be slightly lumpy)

Place pan over medium heat and keep stirring until lumps are gone and dough comes together and forms a ball (about 5 minutes)

 

Turn off stove and place dough ball on floured counter and let cool about 20 minutes

 

Knead cooled dough with a tablespoon of flour, repeat until no longer sticky

PLAY!!!

 

 

 

 *When you are all played out just place dough in a plastic container or gallon size zip lock plastic bag and keep refrigerated until the next use. Should last several weeks when refrigerated. Play dough will keep its soft consistency even after refrigeration.

We have several dollar store and target dollar play dough accessory kits with cutters and rollers. I also provide other tools such as cupcake liners, candles, nature (rocks, sticks, leaves, pinecones), and thematic items. Play dough is great to center on themes just change the color and add themed items for holidays or topics of interest. Sean is a lover of trains and trucks so we have done several construction site invitations. You don‘t have to spend tons of money on brand named accessories just scour your house for random toys and household items.

I couldn't resist adding a few throwback photos of Sean with our first batch of homemade Jello dough when he was a year and a half.