Making Playdough is a Great way to Deal With a Heat Wave

Last week’s heat wave presented challenges for moms across the Lehigh Valley. The kids, recently out of school, had not yet settled into any sort of a summer groove, and because of the dangerous heat index, were basically sequestered for 48 hours straight.

As I struggled to keep my boys (ages 8 and 5) from pummelling each other while simultaneously entertaining my mother-in-law who has been staying with us for the past few weeks, I had a flash-back to an activity that the kids and I used to do when they were younger – make-your-own playdough.

With the invaluable help of Google, I researched no-cook playdough and was pleased to see countless recipes pop up on my computer screen. (There are DIY-playdough recipes that require stove-top cooking, but I was not interested in these.)

Do you have any craft ideas to entertain the kids during a heat wave or a rain storm? We'd really, really like you to share them with us. Email jennifer.marangos@patch.com or

Being lazy and desperate, I chose the no-cook with the fewest ingredients – flour, water, salt and oil. The advantage of this version is that it can be air-dried and then painted.

It can also be dried in a 225 degree oven for two hours. This was not an option last week.

Basically, with any of the no-cook versions, you mix the ingredients in a bowl and you start kneeding. Too wet? Add a bit more flour. Too dry? A bit more oil. Easy peasy.

Here’s the tried-and-true playdough recipe that I used when the kids were younger. The appeal of his one is the fact that the kids can add food coloring and make their own colors. And, they can play with it for a long time, if you stuff it in a zip-lock bag when you are done.

No-Cook Playdough

1 c. water
3 c. flour
1 1/2 c. salt
1/4 c. oil
Food coloring

Combine ingredients in bowl and mix. Add more flour if mixture is too sticky. Store in a plastic zip-lock bag.