What to make for a 3-year-old boy? Playdough of course!

So Abner and I were invited to a little friend's third birthday party recently. I really do like going to birthday parties, but when the child is of an age you are not so familiar with, gift selection can be a bit tricky. After mulling over my options for a few days, I settled on making him his very own batch of playdough. To make it a bit more interesting and fun, I gave a little box of food colouring separately so that he could do the colouring bit himself (I'm sure his mother loved me for that one!) A couple of people have asked me for the recipe I used, so here it is:

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 t cream of tartar (a byproduct of the wine making process in case you're interested)
1 t oil
1/4 cup salt

• mix all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat
• continue to heat and stir until your arm feels ready to fall off and everything comes together into one solid mass
• if your dough is still looking a bit sticky, continue heating and stirring a bit longer
• can be coloured with store-bought food colouring or with natural dyes like beet juice

This recipe makes a pretty small amount so you may want to double it as I did for the birthday boy. Keep the finished product in an air tight container when not in use.

I can't wait to make Abner her first batch!