How to Make Brown Playdough
Brightly colored playdough is always fun and exciting, but sometimes we find ourselves in need of brown playdough. This post all all about the many ways of how to make brown playdough. Luckily, it’s not any harder than any other homemade playdough recipe.
And not just one shade of brown, either! This post will walk you through how to make all the different shades of brown too, so you have the perfect color for any preschool theme.
Brown playdough is probably the most versatile color of playdough. It can be used for so many preschool themes! When setting up a playdough invitation to play, I frequently find myself reaching for a shade of brown playdough.
The base of this playdough recipe can also be found in my Playdough Cookbook. This playdough cookbook includes over 45 completely new and unique playdough recipes, so you have just the right recipe for every teaching moment.
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45 Playdough Recipes$10.00
Why Make Brown Playdough
When I said that brown play dough is versatile, I meant it! Here are some theme ideas for ways to use brown play dough in your preschool classroom.
- construction theme
- garden theme
- forest theme
- gingerbread theme
- dinosaur theme
- hot cocoa theme
The list could go on an on. But most importantly, brown playdough, and shades of brown playdough, can be used in an All About Me preschool theme because it can be used to create different skin tones of playdough. Imagine your preschooler’s delight when they see a playdough color that looks just like them!
What Colors Make Brown Playdough?
Brown playdough can be made with food coloring using a couple of different color combinations. You can go with opposite colors on the color wheel, or you use all three primary colors, like in the image above, to create brown.
Additionally, you can purchase brown food coloring from a hobby or craft store, use that as well. As you can see in the photo below, the brown food coloring ended up being on the yellow/green side.
To get a dark and deep brown, it’s going to take a lot of food coloring no matter what color combinations used, which is why I prefer other methods of making brown playdough. My all-time favorite way (and easiest way) to make brown playdough is below.
How to Color Playdough Without Food Coloring
If you are looking for a way to make brown playdough without using food dye, you have a couple of options.
- Make chocolate playdough. (My personal fav.)
- Use coffee in place of water.
Making coffee playdough is an excellent option if you need a medium brown color. Here is a recipe for coffee playdough that uses brewed coffee in addition to coffee grounds to give it texture.
Chocolate Playdough Recipe
I’m not going to lie, making chocolate playdough is my favorite way to make brown playdough. Not only does it smell amazing, but it is by far the very easiest way to make a deep brown playdough. This is the recipe I reach for the most when I need brown playdough.
Ingredients to Make Chocolate Brown Playdough
- flour
- cocoa powder
- salt
- cream of tartar
- cooking oil
Get the full recipe at the end of this post.
How to Make Chocolate Playdough
Using a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the salt. Add the oil and whisk again.
Slowly pour in the water and mix thoroughly. Then turn the heat to medium and continue stirring. Keep stirring and the mixture thickens and forms a ball of dough.
Your home will smell like a chocolate factory and your children will be underfoot. The chocolate scent will draw them in.
Allow the playdough to cool completely before using.
Once the playdough has cooled completely, if you find it to be a little sticky, knead in some flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it is just the consistency you are looking for.
How can I create different shades of brown playdough?
Luckily, the chocolate playdough recipe above can easily be doubled. And since it’s so quick to make, you can whip up a few double batches in just a few minutes.
Skin Tone Playdough
Now, if you’re looking for a way to make different flesh colored playdough using this recipe, here’s what to do.
- Make a single batch of the chocolate playdough.
- Make a triple batch of my cooked playdough recipe.
- DO NOT add any food coloring. Keep it white.
- Mix together various combinations of brown playdough with the white to get the skin tone color you want.
Playdough Ideas for Brown Playdough
Playdough Garden
A food and nutrition theme is a great way to teach healthy eating to kids! This vegetable garden playdough invitation to play is not only a fun way to incorporate some math into your food theme, but also a non-imposing way to teach children about vegetables!
All About Me Playdough Invitation to Play
This fun playdough tray is perfect for your all about me theme. Your kids will love this fine motor playdough activity for an all about me theme. Kids can make portraits (faces or full bodies) they can just have fun, making open-ended creations with their playdough.
Pumpkin Patch Playdough
With these free pumpkin counting cards, your preschooler gets in twice the counting practice all wrapped up in some autumn theme playdough fun, too!
Construction Theme Playdough
Are you looking for some construction theme activities or some fresh playdough ideas? Maybe you just want an opportunity to play in the dirt. I have the best playdough ideas to help you out. We love this coffee playdough recipe for our construction theme because the coffee grounds make the playdough look just like dirt.
Chocolate Playdough Recipe
This playdough recipe uses cocoa powder to make a deep brown color.
Materials
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 2 cups water
- food coloring (optional)
Tools
- medium saucepan
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing spoon
- parchment paper
Instructions
- Measure the flour, salt, oil, cocoa powder and cream of tartar into a medium saucepan and whisk together.
- Add the water, then turn on the heat. Mix together.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms into a thick dough. You’ll know when it’s ready because it will look like a hot ball of playdough!
- Allow the playdough to cool for about ten minutes on parchment paper before using.
Notes
To Make Skin Colored Playdough
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I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.