Making Play Dough is the perfect activity to include all three of my littles together in the kitchen. We love choosing herbs that will influence a calm atmosphere like Pukka Lavender, Chamomile, and Rose Herbal Tea. We use herbal tea and then add dried plants of chamomile and lavender (which is totally optional). Lavender is usually the desired essential oil to add in at the very end. Isn’t Lavender always a crowd pleaser?
I kid you not that the days we dig into this recipe, it becomes an all day affair. The Play Dough recipe itself does not take much time to make. But let me tell you, my kids end up playing with the dough all day long. I usually double the recipe to satisfy three sets of little hands. We throw our favorite set of play dough tools on the table paired with animal figures and let everyone have at it.
I am so fully aware that this recipe could not be more simple but I am pretty sure it is a fact that every Mama should have a homemade play dough recipe on hand. So here you have it…
HERBAL PLAY DOUGH
Ingredients:
4 herbal tea bags (may add color to your dough depending on what herbs you choose)
2 cups of water
2 cups of flour
½ cup salt
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil (we use coconut or olive)
2-4 tablespoons dried herb of choice
3-5 drops of essential oil (467492 user ID needed to create account)
To make your dough:
Boil 2 cups of water and steep the bags for 10 minutes.
Remove tea bags.
Add flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil to the pan.
Cook and stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes. When it begins to form a ball in the middle of the pot, turn out and begin to knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Tear open the tea bags and begin to knead the tea leaves into the dough.
Add the dried herbs and knead into the dough.
Add the essential oil and knead into the dough.
Store in an airtight container and keep at room temperature.