Home-made playdough.

You may have already made this, but it was a first time for me actually making it myself. I used to play with the same stuff when I was a kid (and I still love it) but my mom made it. Ashlyn loves it and she has already mixed up the colors, which she promised not to do. Why is that so much fun as a kid but really irritates you as a grown up?

So here is the recipe if you don't already have it:

2 1/2 c. Flour

1/4 c. salt

1 Tbls. Alum

1 1/2 cup boiling water

3 Tbls. cooking oil

Mix flour and salt. Add rest of ingredients. Separate into portions and add food coloring of your choice. Knead, if needed. Mine first came out looking like really thick oatmeal, then I added more flour and it was perfect.

Keeps in plastic bags in the refrigerator for months.

I love this stuff because it smells better than the store bought stuff and it doesn't ever dry out and get crumbly. It stays nice and soft.

I even let Gaby, Ryan, and Brooke play with some and even though I stressed that they should not eat it, they all tasted a little. I remember doing that myself as a kid and know it doesn't taste very good so they will probably only do it once. At least you know they are non-toxic ingredients so it won't hurt them to experiment.