For our December play-dō activity boxes I wasn't able to find quite as many Christmas themed party favors and toys as I did for Halloween. What I did find were some mini cookie cutters, some silicone molds (put a little oil in them first to make removal easier), some Christmas shaped erasers for impressions, and some jingle bell bracelets that work for impressions and getting in the Christmas spirit! I also have some cuttings from our Christmas tree, some Holly branches, and some pine cones that worked out great for making impressions and patterns and sticking into a ball of play-dō to look like a tree! We used our same craft boxes that I got for our Halloween craft. I just stored the Halloween themed toys in a plastic bag and put them away with my Fall decorations. This is really an easy craft that my little ones enjoy for a long time. They can get out their play-dō box whenever they want and there are many different ways to get creative. They also enjoy helping me make the dough and picking out the colors we use. Its only five simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry! Give it a try!

Play-dō recipe

In a sauce pot combine:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt (course ground is okay)

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

In a 2 cup glass measuring cup:

Add 1 Tablespoon of coking oil to 2 cups water

Pour the water and oil into the flour mixture and stir continuously over medium heat. It will start to get very thick. I like to use a silicone spatula so that I can get it off the bottom of the pan while I'm stirring. It will start to look like a mess, don't worry, just keep stirring. When you can't stir anymore, or it starts to form into a ball, turn it out onto the counter or a cutting board. You can put foil down to keep your surface clean. Add some cooking oil to your hands and start kneading. If you have latex or a similar type of gloves, those make it easier too. I use them when I am adding in the food coloring to prevent it from transferring dye to my hands. Knead the dō until its smooth and then divide it into two or three parts, depending on how many colors you want to make. For this recipe I usually do three colors and then divide each of the colors in two and it has worked perfect for two kids.