A soft and squishy dough that is quick-to-make, endlessly interesting, and inexpensive. This is a wonderfully relaxing activity for both children and adults alike. With only a few household ingredients, you can mix up a batch in no time and enjoy for hours.
1 Sealable Container (plastic zip bag or silicone bag)
Ingredients
1cupall-purpose flour
1teaspoonvegetable oil
¼cup table salt
½cup warm water
3-6 dropsvegan-friendly food coloring, gel, or paste
2-4tablespoonscornstarch
½teaspoonfragrance or essential oils (or 40-50 drops)(optional)
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and oil well with a rubber spatula or your hands.
Add the food coloring to the warm water and mix well.
If using a scent, add approximately ½ teaspoon (40-50 drops) of scent or essential oil to the water mixture.
Slowly add the colored water to the flour mixture in the bowl. Start out slowly and mix thoroughly to avoid adding too much water.
Once the dough becomes malleable in your hands (it may be a tiny bit sticky), sprinkle on 2-4 tablespoons of cornstarch onto the dough and knead well until desired texture. It should be springy, smooth, and very slightly dry to the touch.
To store, wrap the finished dough in plastic wrap or a damp cloth and store in a sealed container or bag for up to a week or so. Keep in the refrigerator if you would like it to last longer. The salt and the refrigeration will help to keep it fresher longer.
Notes
Double, triple, or quadruple this recipe to make multiple colors of dough. Or, if you’d like less of each color, just reduce this recipe by half. It’s incredibly exciting to mix up colors and create your own personal set of homemade dough!
Consider adding eco-friendly glitter, marbles, magnets, beans, foil, beads, dry pasta, mini figurines, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, nuts and bolts, faux flowers, corks, legos, yarn, seashells, rocks, etc. So many options!