You can purchase play dough at a dollar store, buy it on sale after Halloween or Easter, or make your own. Ask parents who work and can’t come to your classroom to volunteer to do this for you at home. A new, fresh color each month would add interest.
Play Dough
1 cup salt
2 cups water
2 cups flour
2 Tb. cream of tartar (sold in the spice section of your grocery store)
2 Tb. vegetable oil
food coloring
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Cook over medium heat stirring
constantly until a ball forms and sticks to the spoon. Cool, knead, and store in a zip bag.
Hint! Substitute massage oil for vegetable oil to make “aroma therapy” dough.
Use unsweetened Kool-aid for color and fragrance.
Omit food coloring and knead dough in cocoa to make “chocolate dough.”
*I made this in my classroom in an electric skillet. I'd let the kids dump in the ingredients and then I let them have a turn stirring before I turned on the heat.
Note! Have children wash their hands before and after working with play dough to decrease spreading germs. You can also have individual containers or bags for children to use for these projects.