No-fail-fun with no-fail play dough

Using a strong wooden spoon, mix together over medium heat until it reaches a dough consistency:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp cream of tartar
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp oil

After cooling and kneading until smooth you may want to add:

• 1-2 drops of essential oil like lavender (for its calming affect), lemon, lime, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon – or any scent you and your kids love.
  
• Colouring. We grew up using food colouring, but you may want to try natural dyes from vegetables such as beet juice or spices such as turmeric.

This will keep for weeks, perhaps months if you manage to stay clear of food crumbs, in the fridge in a sealed container or bag. Mason jars are also great for keeping your play dough fresh. This is also a great storage idea if you want to make a few different coloured batches to give as gifts – fabulous for a young child's birthday.

Gluten-free play dough
Here is a recipe for gluten-free play dough, courtesy of the Celiac Sprue Association. (Regular Play Doh, the popular children's modeling compound, contains gluten, which makes it unsafe for children with celiac disease.) If you'd rather buy ready-made gluten-free play dough, two popular brands are Aroma Dough and Colorations. Colorations is sold by Discount School Supply.

Recipe reprinted with permission of the Celiac Sprue Association.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tsp cream of tarter
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cooking oil
• Food colouring, if desired
• Vanilla for aroma
  
  

Preparation: Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until mixture forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag.

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