How to make electric Play-Doh

This article was taken from the September 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

Want to introduce your kids to electronics? Ditch the circuit boards and go with that sticky staple of early childhood: Play-Doh. The off-the-shelf variety isn't conductive enough, but adding the right amount of salt and cream of tartar to your homemade version lets you create circuits, illuminate LEDs and even make motors spin.

Make the insulating dough

Mix 225g of plain flour, 115g of sugar, 45ml of vegetable oil, 120ml distilled water and a few drops of the food colouring of your choice in a medium-size bowl. Stir until doughy.

Turn out on to a flour-coated surface and knead.

Cook the conductive dough

Mix 225g of plain flour, 45g of salt, 15ml of vegetable oil, 240ml of water, a few drops of another colouring and 45ml of cream of tartar in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir until it thickens. Lay it on a floured surface to cool.

Complete the circuit

Sandwich a blob of the insulating dough between two balls of the conductive dough. Insert the terminals of a DC power supply (one that takes two AA batteries or four AAAs) into each conductive piece and link them to an LED.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK