A few years ago, we received a cute little baggie of gingerbread playdough as a Christmas gift from one of our preschool teachers. We easily played with that ball of dough for months, long after all the other Christmas decorations had been packed away. I love Playdough...it's fantastic for tiny fingers and minds, but I always found myself hesitating about getting it out because it always ends up mashed into a rug somewhere. For years, it's mostly been an outside toy because of my neuroticism (is that a word?) and it would get covered in grass, crushed up leaves and dirt after one use. Plus, why, oh why do they have to mix the colors! #ocdalert
Enter Gingerbread Playdough
I was shocked at how easy and fast it was to make homemade playdough!
We were supposed to drive up to Waco this afternoon for Christmas at the Silos but it's raining and in the 40's, and we don't have thick enough skin for that kind of experience in this family. So we stayed home and I was pretty disappointed about the change in plans. I knew I needed a mood-booster, so this little activity was as much for me as it was for the kids. And my four-year-old loves baking so this was right up her alley. We waited for little brother to take a nap and whipped out our handful of ingredients. She was able to play for awhile by herself and then each of her brothers took their time creating and playing too.
Any activity that entertains a 2 year old, a 4 year old and a 6 year old is a BIG WIN in my book. Here's the recipe and a few modifications below it for you!
Enjoy!
Recipe 1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground clove
Variations:
For peppermint playdough, substitute 1 tbsp peppermint extract (or 5 drops of peppermint essential oil) and 5-10 drops of red food coloring for the last 4 ingredients above.
For wintergreen playdough, substitute the last 4 ingredients above with 1 tbsp peppermint extract (or 5 drops of eucalyptus EO) and 5-10 drops of green food coloring.
You could also leave out the spices completely for a white color like this girl did (below).
