Playdough is very easy to make at home and doing so will obviously save you a lot of money - the stuff never seemed to last very long when I was young and new cans were bought at an alarming rate. How pleased my mother was when she discovered this recipe at my creche*, which takes but minutes and is pretty much the same as the commercially sold stuff.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups plain flour
• 2 cups salt
• 4 cups cold water
• 4 tbs vegetable oil
• 6 tsp Cream of Tartar
• Food colouring
• A sprinkling of Dettol (A liquid antiseptic. Isn't this sort of poisonous? Maybe a bit unnecessary)

Method:

Mix together.

Cook over a low heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly, for but 4-6 minutes.

Knead it a bit as it cools.

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*A public nursery, where the young children of poor women are cared for during the day, while their mothers are at work.