Homemade Play Dough

I am always looking for fun things to make with my kids.  I have a cook book that was made by the town I live in, I found a recipe in it for play dough.  It is very easy. 

2 1/2 C flour                   3 T. oil
1/2 C. salt                       2 C. boiling water
1 T. alum

Begin boiling water
Stir flour, salt and alum together in a large bowl.  Add oil and cut oil into flour.  Add water.  Mix with a large spoon until cool enough to knead with hands.
***If you want to make the play dough colored add coloring to water BEFORE you add water to flour mixture. I have split the flour mixture into two bowls and added 1 C. of different colored water to each bowl.

I store the play dough in a ziploc bag.  It will stay good for months, if you keep the bag closed.  The older it gets, it will start to get hard salty spots in it.  I just pull those out and trash them. 

I love this play dough because I KNOW what is in it, and it is super cheap to make.