Things can get pretty wild around here. The day can drag, and the house can look like a bomb has hit it, and the cubs can get a little testy.

This is a recipe that I turn to time and again to break up the afternoon without resorting to TV or computer games... Not that I don't resort to them sometimes! 

Play dough is super fun, lets face it. But I find that it's also incredibly cathartic for cubs who have had a few too many run-ins with their siblings, a few too many time-out's, or even a few too many episodes of the Upside Down Show. Setting them up at the table with a lump of the good stuff and some playful implements means I can get dinner started without the usual winging for snacks or exclamations of 'I'm Bored!". 

The reason this is advertised as the 'Best Play Dough Ever', lies in the fact that there's no stove side labouring with a big old wooden spoon which suits me fine. But the real secret is in the addition of a few good lugs of some delicious smelling oil of choice - never underestimate the yum factor with the youngens. My kids love bubblegum flavour, or if you're after some peace and quiet, use some lavender and chamomile oils for some secretly calming fun. I pick up little bottles of aromatherapy oils at my local discount store - chocolate's next! 

Best Play Dough Ever

2 cups Plain Flour

1 cup Table Salt

2 tsp Cream of Tartar

1 Tbsp Oil (I use sunflower, but any neutral oil is fine - grapeseed, rice bran, canola etc)

1 Tbsp Aromatherapy Oil 

Food colouring

2 cups of boiling water

Chuck the dry ingredients in a big ol' bowl. Add food colouring to the 2 cups of boiling water - use as much colouring as you wish to achieve the desired hue of awesomeness. Add this to the dry ingredients along with the oil. Stir until it comes together, then chuck on some rubber gloves (it's hot!) and knead the dough until you have a smooth and springy lump of goodness. 

Call in the cubs, stand back, enjoy a cup of something and get dinner on.