when clark naps each morning, i make it my goal to do something special with holland, something that baby brother wouldn't be so keen on, or that i wouldn't be too keen on him partaking in. most days we play with holland's teeny tiny cars which were handed down to him from dad. sometimes we build train tracks, do a baking activity or paint. today we tackled play dough. no salt play dough, because as the words left my mouth i realized we didn't have near enough salt to make the real deal. with holland already on his way to get the stool and play dough tools before i even finished my sentence, turning back wasn't an option.

we experimented with a recipe and to my surprise, our no salt play dough came out really well. it had a consistency we both loved. and thanks to the olive oil and lack of salt, my hands felt silky smooth within a few minutes. i'm not a big fan of the feeling traditional play dough leaves on my hands.


holland requested blue play dough so we colored ours, but you certainly don't have to. white play dough would equally as beautiful. we mixed dried lavender into ours as well, which provided fun texture and a little aroma therapy as we rolled, patted, and shaped. i also provided a couple rolling pins, wood stamps, and cookie cutters, as well as a bowl of left-over birthday confetti i found in our art cabinet.

we left our dough out all day. holland literally played with it for hours, but because i left it out for about ten hours, the outside of our dough was a little dry come evening so i went ahead and tossed it. had we covered it, it would have had more life left in it.


i'm already dreaming up our next mix-ins; sticks, leaves, flower petals, glitter, sequins, pipe cleaners, rose water, essential oils, sand...

i am pretty excited about this recipe working out, as well as the ease of it. it is super cheap to make, and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now. it is also all natural and suitable for younger children who might mouth it.

if you choose to make it, please share your experience. i would love to hear what you come up with. photos are a bonus.


no salt play dough

2 cups of flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
food coloring (optional)
essential oils, rosewater, lavender, etc.
large bowl for mixing

mix flour, olive oil, water, food coloring, and any essential oils, rosewater, or extras to your desired consistency. you may find you want to add a little more water or a bit more oil. it is up to you, but take care when doing so. a little extra liquid will go a long way. if coloring, we found it worked best to add our food coloring to our water before pouring our water in.

i can't wait to see what you and your littles come up with!