I once read an article about the inventor of Play-Doh™. He had originally marketed the compound as wallpaper cleaner, until he discovered that kids loved to play with the stuff. That got me thinking: even though it is non-toxic, do I really want my kids playing with, and sometimes ingesting, wallpaper cleaner? For me, the answer was simple -- NO.

So I researched and experimented with playdough recipes and found that the homemade stuff is easy to make and kids (and parents) seem to like it better to boot.

Stored properly in airtight containers, playdough will last for months. These two recipes are our favorite and easiest variations:

Super Playdough
Grab a bowl. A basic playdough recipe that holds up well. I like to make small batches in a variety of colors.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbsp. corn oil
Food coloring

Mix together all ingredients and cook for three minutes over low heat. Stir well while adding food coloring one drop at a time until dough reaches desired color.

Knead dough until smooth. Store in an airtight container.

Kool-Aid Playdough
Produces vibrant colors and smells great! Although safe to eat, the salt makes it highly undesirable, so kids won't be tempted to continue sampling after one taste.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1 package Unsweetened Kool-Aid
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbsp. corn oil

Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. The dough will be very stiff and hard at this point.

Knead dough until smooth. Store in an airtight container.

Jell-O Playdough
Also smells yummy and the gelatin makes for a spongy consistency.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 package Jell-O (3 oz,)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Knead dough until smooth. Store in an airtight container.