You will need 5 to 6 medium sized potatoes and some flour. Bake potatoes in their skins; when soft inside, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove skins and mash potatoes together. For every 4 cups of mashed potatoes add 1 cup of flour. Add more flour if necessary, to form a nice pliable dough. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Lasts for several days.
 
 

Play Dough for Baking (Index)

Use for making nearly unbreakable miniature tree ornaments, window hangers or figures. 

Blend in a bowl: 
3/4 cup flour 
1/4 cup white glue 
1/4 cup ivory liquid shampoo 
food coloring 

Knead the mixture together thoroughly, dusting with flour. Roll dough out flat. Make it thin because it expands when baked. Cut the dough with small cookie cutters. If you wish to hang the cutouts, poke a hole through the top. Bake on a cookie sheet for 2 hours at 200*F. When cool, decorate with acrylic or tempera paint. 
 
 

Chocolate Playdough** (Index)

1 1/4 cups flour 
1/2 cup cocoa powder 
1/2 cup salt 
1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar 
1 1/2 tablespoons oil 
1 cup boiling water 

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oil and water. Stir quickly and mix well.

**Not edible!!!  Won't hurt them, but it doesn't taste very good...lol :)
 
 

Gingerbread Dough (Index)

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 T ground cinnamon
1 T ground cloves
water (about 1 cup)

Mix everything together. If making ornaments for Christmas time, have the children form the dough into desired shapes or use cookie cutters, then lay them down to dry.

Oatmeal Dough (Index)

Mix 1 part flour, 2 parts oatmeal and 1 part water. Add water gradually to bind the mixture.

Peanut Butter Dough (Index) 

Mix 1 cup peanut butter with 1 cup non-fat dry powdered milk in bowl by hand. Add 1 tablespoon of honey. Knead until stiff.  Makes enough for one child.  Recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc...if needed.

More Peanut Butter Play Dough Recipes!

Cloud Dough (Index)

1 cup vegetable oil
6 cups flour
1 cup water
food coloring

Add food coloring to water. Put the flour and oil into a large bowl. Slowly add the water, stirring as you pour.  Continue mixing the ingredients until a soft dough forms. Add a little more water or flour if necessary. Knead until completely blended.

Cinnamon Dough (Index)

1 cup ground cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce

Mix cinnamon and applesauce until a stiff dough is formed. Roll out to a 1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. If the shape is to be used as an ornament, make a hole at the top of each shape to lace string through. Air dry several days on a wire rack, tuning each ornament occasionally.

Sparkling Salt Clay (Index)
1 cup cornstarch
about 1 1/2 cups cold water
2 cups rock salt (regular salt can be used)
1 cup water

Thin cornstarch with 1 1/2 cups cold water until it is as thick as gravy. Boil salt in 1 cup water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling salt water, stirring constantly to avoid lumping. Cook until mixture forms a  large mass. Turn out onto wax paper and cool. Store in an airtight container. (finished project may be dried in 250 degree oven for 1 hour, or allow to air dry.)

Bread Clay (Index)

6 slices white bread
1 Tablespoon white glue
1/2 teaspoon detergent or 2 teaspoon glycerin

Remove crusts from bread and knead them with white glue and detergent or glycerin. Knead until mixture becomes non sticky. Separate into portions and tint with food coloring. Shape and when done brush with equal glue and water for a smoother appearance. Let dry overnight to harden.

Edible Clay (Index)
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup honey
Healthy snacks for decoration

Children love to sample what's cooking! They can mix up their own dough clay, use it imaginatively and then eat their creations!

Help children measure ingredients, then mix with a spoon or by hand.  Add more milk powder if mixture is too sticky.  Let kids experiment with the dough as it were clay!  They can decorate their creations with pretzels, veggie sticks, dried or fresh fruit.....YUM!

Edible Clay 2 (Index)

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups powdered milk
3 tsp. honey
raisins (optional)
Nuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients together, add optional ingredients, if desired for interest. If too sticky, add more powdered milk. 

Dryer Lint Modeling Mix (Index)

3 cups lint (from dryer
2 cups cold or warm water
2/3 cups non-self-rising wheat flour
3 drops of wintergreen
Old newspapers

Put lint and water in a large saucepan.  Stir to dampen all parts of the lint.  Add flour and stir thoroughly to prevent lumps.  Add oil of wintergreen.  Cook over low heat,  stirring constantly, until mixture holds together and forms peaks.  Pour out onto several thickness' of newspaper to cool.  Use as you would papier-mache pulp or shaped over armatures (boxes, bottles, balloons, and so forth) or press into a mold.  This material will dry in 3 to 5 days to a very hard durable surface.  When wet it has a felt like consistency.  It dries to smooth or rough, depending on how it is used. When pressed into a mold, a hard, smooth finish is obtained.  Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for several days.
 

Papier-Mache Paste #1 (Index)

For an easy papier-mache glue, mix equal parts of wall paper paste and cold water.  Tear strips of newspaper, and dip these in the mixture before applying to a form of chicken wire or rolled newsprint.

Papier- Mache Paste #2 (Index)

3 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups flour
Oil of peppermint

In a heavy saucepan, stir flour into cold water.  Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens to a creamy paste.  Cool; the add a few drops of peppermint oil.  Use this paste with strips of paper to cover a form.  Let each layer dry before adding another layer.

Play Dough (Index)

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 Tblsp. oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tsp. cream of tartar
food coloring

Mix ingredients in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and becomes doughy in consistency.  Knead until cool.

Not edible!  Can be used over and over again.  Store in air tight container.  Keeps 3 months unrefrigerated.

Kool-Aid Play Dough (Index)

2 cups boiled water
4 Tblsp. oil
1 cup salt
2 cups flour
4 Tblsp. cream of tartar
2 packages Kool-Aid

Add wet ingredients to dry.  Stir to blend.  Store in air tight container.  Keeps well unrefrigerated.

Sand Play Clay (Index)

1 Cup clean sand
1/2 Cup cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. powdered alum (in spice section)
1/2 Cup water

Let your child stir the mixture with his hands or wooden spoon. Mix all ingredients in cooking pot. Have an adult place mixture on stove over low heat, stirring constantly with the spoon. As the mixture becomes warm it will liquefy. Continue stirring 2 to 3 mins more until clay thickens. Remove from heat and cool. Kids can use the clay free form, in molds, to decorate picture frames (add shells to look like a beach) or even make a fossil by pressing shell or plate into wet sand. This takes several days to dry completely. 

Play Clay (Index)

1 Cup cornstarch
2 Cups baking soda (1 lb. pkg.)
1 1/2 Cup cold water

In medium saucepan stir together cornstarch and baking soda. Add water all at once and stir until smooth. Cook over med. heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches the consistency of slightly dry mashed potatoes. Turn onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth until cool. Knead thoroughly on floured surface until smooth. Store in Ziploc bag or sealed container in the refrigerator. Will last for about two weeks. For colored clay, add food coloring in with water. Can use this to make Christmas ornaments, napkin rings, clay wall hangings, refrigerator magnets, etc... Shape as desired or use cookie cutters on clay that's rolled to about 1/4" thickness. Dry at room temp. on waxed paper and turn over when dry to the touch. Small shapes will dry overnight. For quicker drying, preheat oven to 350 and then turn off. Put objects on wax paper on cookie sheet and place in oven. Let dry in oven until oven is cold, turning occasionally. When thoroughly dry, sand any rough edges. For a protective finish and shine, spray on shellac or coat with clear nail polish.

Self Hardening Clay (Index)
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon alum
1 1/2 cups salt
1 1/2 cups water

Mix flour, alum and salt together in a bowl.  Add water gradually to form a ball.  Knead (pound, roll & pull) the clay, adding water until it no longer falls apart.  Store in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator.  Allow the clay to come to room temp for easy use.  Let your finished project dry at room temp for 2 days.  It will become very hard and can be painted.

Play dough Volcanos (Index)

Play dough
1 cup water
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup dishwashing liquid
Few drops of red food coloring
1/4 cup baking soda
sm. frozen orange juice can

Put the frozen orange juice can on a tray. Put the play dough all around the juice can making a mountain, leaving the top of the can open. Pour baking soda into the can. In a separate bowl mix the water, vinegar, dishwashing liquid and food coloring. When you are ready to have your volcano "erupt", pour some of this mixture into the can and watch the "lava" flow!!! There is enough of this mixture for several "eruptions".