Easy DIY Squishy Play Dough

I know a lot of people out there complain about 'Pinterest moms' and don't see why it's necessary to go baking  your own play dough when you can just buy it in the store.  The truth is, you don't have to do this. No one's twisting your arm.  I really do this stuff because I like it.  It's fun for me.  And my little guy loves experimenting and creating, too, so this is right up his alley.  I also can assure you that I'm all about easy crafts and easy fun.  This recipe for DIY play dough really is easy.  Trust me.

You Will Need:

-1 cup flour
-1 cup water
-1/4 cup of salt
-2 tsp cream of tartar
-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
-food coloring (about 4 drops or to your liking)
-wax paper or parchment paper

Step 1.  Put all of your ingredients into a heavy duty pot and stir them up.

Step 2.  Put the pot on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until a soft dough forms.  As soon as it forms into a ball, remove it from the heat and dump it onto some wax paper on your countertop.  Wait for it to cool and then begin to knead it until it's soft (this is where the little hands come in, just make sure it's cool enough for them to touch).

It kind of smells like pizza when you're making it...

When all of the color is spread throughout and the dough is nice and squishy, it's play time!

This dough is cool because it's so squishy!

That paint splattered thing is a placemat!

Storage:  When finished you can store it in a gallon size ziploc bag or in ziploc containers.  It will keep for a long time if it remains sealed.  I can't tell you exactly how long, but I know we had ours for a while!  This dough also makes a great little gift for someone.  Check out HowDoesShe? for great tutorial pictures and ideas on gift packaging!