Science Experiment : Homemade Play Dough

Homemade Play dough using natural ingredients

Play dough (Play-Doh) recipe for kids. Safe and non-toxic made of natural ingredients. Kids of all ages love playing with dough and making their own recipe. Here is a fun cooking and science recipe to make with kids (ages 8 and up). Of course, the play dough itself can be good for ages 2+ to play with.

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Science Experiment: Homemade Play Dough

For Play Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup salt
2 tbs cream of tarter
2 tbs oil
Food coloring (optional)
Glitter (optional)

For Molding and Play:

Cookie Cutters
Rolling Pins
Forks
Butter knives or small spreading knives used for dips, etc.
Small trays

Tip: To make great smelling play doh with fun colors, use Kool-Aid instead of food coloring. Just dissolve a packet of Kool-Aid into the water before mixing.

Tip: Divide the liquid into several bowls before adding to the flour if you want more than one color play dough. Add the coloring to the water separately and you need to divide the flour into equal portions as well.

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Science Experiment:Homemade Play Dough

Play Dough Science Experiment - Cooking in Pan

Step 1. Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar into a pan. In a small bowl, add the oil and food coloring (optional) together. Pour into the pan with the flour mixture.

Step 2. Place pan over medium heat and stir. If your child is old enough to cook, supervise this step, otherwise finish off this part of the play dough process. Keep cooking and stirring constantly until a firm ball of dough forms. At the beginning, the dough will have the consistency of melted ice cream, then towards the end, it will be like stiff mashed potatoes. Stirring will become tougher towards the end.

Play Dough Science Experiment - Finished and ready for play

Step 3. Turn off heat and let the play dough cool. Once it has cooled for about 10 minutes, it is ready for play. Put into a airtight container or bag for storage. Play dough will last longer stored in the fridge.

What just happened?

Cooking is in fact a science. It is when we combine ingredients that in fact a reaction takes place. What happens when we add water to the flour? The protein that is in the flour swells up like a sponge and becomes a tough, ‘elasticky’ substance called gluten. By adding the salt to the dough, it helps to slow down the breakdown of the protein, making it easy to knead and play with. If you don’t add enough salt, the dough stays sticky and rubbery. So the key is to add the right amount.

Take this further:

Construct and design your own ski resort by building a ski mountain out of play dough. Construct a map of the ski resort with a map key and symbols. Use small trees and houses made out of paper or clay to decorate.
Make a Dinosaur diorama out of the clay by adding fresh elements like fern and tree bark, rocks, gravel to make it life-like. Add in dinosaur toys to make it come alive.
Add glitter in to the play dough as it is cooking. Does it make the clay harder? Does it roll as easily when done?
Do an ingredient search for substitutions. What if you substituted lard for the oil, or used a different kind of flour. Or use Kool-Aid instead of food coloring? What happens then?
Try to find natural ingredients to color the dough – juice of a beet, turmeric spice, tea bag, etc.
What substitutions have you tried?