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Posted on January 7, 2005, by merle, under Articles Of Interest. 11290 views. Rating: 0. Print view, Mail to a friend.
CHILDREN'S CRAFT RECIPES
NOTE: I have not personally tried all these recipes, therefore I can not guarantee them. They are simply craft recipes I have accumulated while typing.
Bubble Fun
1/2 cup liquid dish soap
2 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp glycerin (available at drug store)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
Mix up dish soap, water, glycerin and sugar. You don't absolutely need the glycerin, but it makes the bubbles last longer and get bigger without bursting.
World's Best Bubbles
2 1/2 qt water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup liquid dish detergent
Mix water and corn syrup together until completely blended. Gently stir in liquid dish detergent. Will store for several weeks in an airtight container.
Add a little color to your bubbles by stirring in a few drops of food coloring. Create bubbles in many different sizes by dipping various items such as a plastic strawberry basket or wire whisk into bubble solution.
Sidewalk Chalk
1/4 cup plaster of Paris
2 Tbsp water
Liquid tempera paints (enough to color bright)
Mix all ingredients. Pour into small 3 1/2 ounce Dixie cup. When mixture hardens (about 30 minutes), peel off paper cup. Makes 1 large chunk of chalk; washes off sidewalk with water. Makes 1 cup chalk.
Comic Copier Solution
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
Comic strip or newspaper picture
White paper
With this concoction, you can make a copy of any black-and-white or colored newspaper photograph.
Mix vanilla extract and liquid dish detergent together in a small bowl. Using your finger or a small paint brush, completely cover the comic or newspaper picture with a thin layer of comic copier solution. Place a clean sheet of white paper on top of the picture. Firmly rub the back of the paper with a spoon until the picture begins to show through the paper. Peel the paper off the picture to see your comic copier creation.
Creative Salt
5 to 6 drops food colouring
1/2 cup salt
Add colouring to salt. Stir well. Evenly coat and colour salt. Cook in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or spread on wax paper and let air dry. Store in an airtight container. Use as you would glitter.
Halloween Scar Tissue
1 pkg unflavoured gelatin
Few drops hot water
Red food colouring
Mix ingredients until it forms a gel like substance. Smear onto face and puff with powder. It will come off easily and is harmless for your skin.
Magic Mud
5 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
Spoon cornstarch into a mug. Add water and stir. It should be difficult to stir, even when the water and cornstarch are fully mixed. Squeeze a small quantity of magic mud between your fingers and roll it into a ball or sausage.
What happens when you stop squeezing the mud? When you press the mud, it feels solid because you squeeze out some of the water. But when you stop squeezing, water flows back again and the mud becomes runny.
Children will enjoy picking this mixture up with spoons and pouring from 1 bowl to another. This is a great treat for a warm day in the back yard. Washes off with water.
Note: You can revive your magic mud when it becomes too dry with a drop or 2 of water.
Window Flowers or Butterflies
Crayons
Cheese grater (old)
Wax paper
Paper towels or newspaper
Iron
Have the children grate some crayons onto a piece of wax paper. Lay another piece of wax paper over top of the shavings. Put a paper towel or newspaper over top and beneath. Using an iron, set on medium, carefully iron over the entire piece of wax paper (an adult should do the ironing). Children can then cut out spring shapes from the coloured wax paper.
Marbling Planets
2 Tbsp red paint
2 Tbsp yellow paint
2 Tbsp blue paint
2 Tbsp cooking oil
Water, to mix
Paper circles, different sizes (cut out of absorbable paper)
Place all ingredients, except paper circles, into a flat cooking tray with edges. Stir around a little and leave to settle. Place paper circles over top of solution. Leave to soak into paper for a minute or less. This will create a marbling effect which looks like the surface of a planet.
Bubble Prints
3 Tbsp paint, either powder or liquid
1/2 to 1 cup water
Straws
Mix paint with water in a cup sized container. Give children straws to blow bubbles into the mixture. When bubble mixture overflows at the top of container, place absorbable paper over the bubbles. This will leave a colourful circle pattern, like craters on our moon.
Note: A lot of supervision is needed for this recipe, as some children will suck up the mixture rather than blow.
Jewel & Gem Goop
1/2 cup white glue
2 cups rock salt
6 to 8 drops food coloring
Mold this strange concoction into sparkling creations that look just like real jewels and gems.
Mix rock salt and food coloring together. Add glue and continue mixing for 2 to 3 minutes. Mold and sculpt jewel and gem goop, using your hands. Place jewel and gem sculptures on a piece of cardboard to dry. Drying time will vary according to the size and thickness of your creation.
Kid's Kitchen White Face Makeup
3 Tbsp white shortening or cold cream
4 Tbsp cornstarch or baby powder
Work first 2 ingredients into creamy consistency. Remove with shortening or cold cream.
Optional: Use unsweetened cocoa instead of cornstarch for making shadows on face or for brown paint.
Sand Castle for Keeps
1/3 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup water
6 cups sand
Mix flour and sugar in saucepan. Gradually add water, stirring vigorously. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is clear. Remove from heat and let it sit until cool enough to handle. Combine this mixture with the sand. Knead until clay like, adding additional water as needed.
Build a sand castle! This clay will air dry to a permanent hardness.
Silly Putty
2 parts Elmer's glue
1 part liquid starch
Put glue into mixing bowl. Add starch while mixing until it forms a ball.
Yuk
2 heat resistant containers
1 cup Elmer's glue*
2 tsp 20 Mule Team Borax
Water
Food coloring (optional)
Container A: Mix Elmer's glue with 3/4 cup hot water and food coloring, if desired. Continue mixing until smooth.
Container B: Mix 1/2 cup very hot water with Borax. Continue mixing until Borax is dissolved.
Pour the contents of Container B into Container A. Then stir the mixture (hands work best and it's more fun) until no more liquid can be absorbed. You will now have a blob of yuk! Remove the yuk! kneading as necessary, to an airtight container and discard any remaining liquid. Stretch it, cut it, draw on it with markers! Can be doubled.
*For some reason, Elmer's glue is the white glue of choice for this recipe. I have heard that other glues will not have the same reaction.
Ooze
2 cups white glue
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup warm water
1 tsp Borax
Mix 2 cups white glue and 1 1/2 cups warm water in 1 bowl. Mix 1/3 cup warm water and 1 tsp Borax in another bowl.
Mix together quickly, Borax mixture and glue mixture. It will become lumpy and the lumps are what you want to remove and put into a bowl. There will also be some liquid from mixing all this together, so add another teaspoon Borax and mix. Remove lumps (which is the ooze) and put into bowl with other ooze. You may repeat the teaspoon of Borax into leftover liquid a few more times. Store ooze in covered plastic container.
3-D Puffy Sand
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup salt
2 1/2 Tbsp tempera paint
1/2 Tbsp sand
Plastic squeeze bottle
Combine dry ingredients in medium size bowl. Add water and tempera paint; mix well. Carefully pour mixture into squeeze bottle. Create! Let finished 3-D puffy sand paintings dry 24 hours or until hard. 3-D puffy sand can also be used in cake decorating bag using different tips. Use to decorate picture frames, jewellery boxes, lunch boxes, greeting cards.
Body Glitter
1 1/2 cups aloe vera gel
1 tsp glycerin
2 tsp glitter
1 or 2 drops essential oil, scent of your choice
Mix ingredients together and put into small jars (like baby food jars). Makes a great gift. Aloe vera gel can be found in a health food store, do not mistake for aloe vera juice. May use perfume, rose water or whatever you like for fragrance.
Optional: Add a drop or 2 of food color, but be careful, too much will dye your skin!
This makes lots. You can reduce the recipe to yield less.
Lots O'Lint Smoosh
3 cups dryer lint, packed down
2 cups water
2/3 cup flour
2 tsp alum
Mix lint and water until lint is damp. Add flour and alum; stir thoroughly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes thick and gluey. Dump on old newspaper; let cool. Use like papier mâché pulp by forming it over a box, balloon or the bottom of a bowl. It can also be pressed into a mold. It will dry rough if shaped, smooth if pressed into a mold. It will dry in about 4 days. Keep for a few days in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
Coal Garden
6 Tbsp salt
6 Tbsp liquid bluing
6 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp ammonia
Coal, small porous rocks, clinkers or a broken brick
Ink or food coloring
Mix all together and then pour over a piece of coal, coke or a broken brick set in a shallow dish (old pie pan). Dabs of red or green ink or food coloring will give a lovely color effect. Make sure that the coal, etc. is dry. To prevent this garden going over the dish, rub the edge of the dish with Vaseline.
Soap Crayons
1 3/4 cups Ivory Snow (powder)
1/4 cup water
Food coloring
Mix water and soap flakes together. Add food coloring; put mixture into an ice cube tray. Allow to harden (takes a day or 2). Break into pieces. Fun to write with on the tub.
Christmas Bubbles
4 cups water
16 to 20 mothballs
Red or green food colouring
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp citric acid
Use a glass bowl, fish bowl or tall vase. Do not stir. When mothballs stop revolving, add the same proportion of citric acid and baking soda again.
Dancing Snowballs
Cold water
Food colouring
Vinegar
Baking soda
8 to 12 mothballs
Tint cold water with food colouring and measure into a deep glass bowl or fish bowl. For each 4 cups water, add 1 Tbsp vinegar and slowly add 2 Tbsp baking soda. Stir well. Drop mothballs in and watch them start to dance. If the balls get lazy, add a little more vinegar.
Christmas Snow
2/3 cup liquid starch
2 cups soap flakes or detergent granules
2 to 4 Tbsp water
Blue food colouring
In a medium size bowl, mix together liquid starch and soap flakes, then add water. Beat with a rotary egg beater until mixture becomes very thick. With a dropper, add food colouring, beating until “snow� has an icy white colour. After painting the snow on your Christmas tree, add white glitter to give it a crystal-like appearance.
Flower Petal Clay
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp water
3 cups finely chopped and crushed fresh flower petals
Flower petal clay is a beautiful, natural clay that you can use to create small treasures in a rainbow of swirling colors.
Mix flour, salt and water together in a small bowl until it forms a firm dough. Knead in flower petals. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Now you're ready to create! Let finished pieces air dry 2 to 3 days or until completely hard. You can apply a thin layer of shellac to preserve and add luster to your flower petal clay creations.
With flower petal clay, you can create beautiful beads in many shapes and sizes. Use a toothpick to poke a hole in your beads while they are still set. After your beads are dried, you can string them to form unique bracelets, necklaces or tree garlands.
Fun Stickers
1 lb fruit flavored gelatin
2 Tbsp hot water
Colorful magazine or newspaper ads
Mix well and paint the “glue� on the back of the cut out pictures. Let dry. Lick to paste.
Note: This works well and is fun with catalogues. Dark gelatin might show through light pictures. Non-toxic.
Drizzle Goop
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup water
Food coloring, optional
Mix flour, sugar and salt. Add water, maybe more, so mixture is drizzly enough to go into a squeeze bottle. It stores in the fridge for quite a while. Drizzle goop can be used to draw a picture. Macaroni, glitter, etc. can be put on the drizzle when it's wet. Takes about a day to dry.
Paper Clay
2 cups construction paper scraps (sorted by color)
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup flour
Tear construction paper into small pieces. Pour water and paper scraps into a blender. Blend 20 seconds or until the mixture turns into pulp. Drain and squeeze excess water from the mixture. Mix flour and the remaining 1/2 cup of water in a small bowl until blended. Slowly add the flour and water mixture to paper pulp. Knead until it forms a dough. Mold paper clay as you would any clay or dough. Let finished creations dry 1 to 2 days.
Paper clay can be used to create 3-D greeting cards, pictures, package ties or tree ornaments. Try adding glitter or bits of confetti. Press paper clay into candy molds, cookie cutters or gelatin molds to create interesting shapes.
Sculpting Stuff
1:
2 cups sand
1 cup water
1 cup cornstarch
2:
2 cups sawdust
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp glue
Hot water or liquid starch
3:
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups baking soda
1 1/4 cups water
4:
2 cups Ivory soap flakes
1/4 cup water
1: Mix in pot over low heat until thickened. Let cool and mold into shapes. Let dry. Can be painted.
2: Moisten with water or starch until modeling consistency is reached. Let dry. Can be painted.
3: Combine cornstarch and soda. Add water. Heat, stirring constantly, until consistency of mashed potatoes. Cover with damp towel until cool enough to handle. Knead. Shape and air dry.
4: Put soap flakes in large bowl. Add water and squish together until mixture is dampened. When it sticks together, make shapes. Place in fridge until firm. Allow to air dry, then paint.
PAINTS
Hints:
1. Liquid soap added to the paint will make hand cleaning easier.
2. Pine disinfectant added to the paint helps keep it for a few days, as does storing it in the refrigerator.
3. A small quantity of cold water poured on top of fingerpaint will prevent a skin from forming on the surface.
4. Homemade paints can be coloured with vegetable dyes, food colouring or powdered paint.
Finger Paint
1 pkg gelatin
1/2 tsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp sugar
2 cups cold water
Liquid detergent
Food colouring
Soak gelatin in warm water according to package directions; set aside.
Into a medium saucepan, put the cold water; add cornstarch and sugar. Once the ingredients are blended, remove from low heat. Add the gelatin. Divide the mixture into various containers. Add 1 to 2 drops of liquid detergent and food colouring to each container. This will last up to 6 weeks.
Cornstarch Fingerpaints
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups cold water
Food colouring
Pinch detergent
Mix sugar and cornstarch together. Add water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until well blended. Divide mixture and add different food colourings to each. Add a pinch of detergent to each colour. (This makes it wash out of clothes more easily.)
Laundry Starch Paint
You may need to vary this recipe a little depending on the brand of starch you use.
1 part dry laundry starch
2 parts boiling water
Water
Colouring (vegetable dye, food colouring, powdered paint)
Mix starch with a little water to make a paste. Add boiling water, stirring constantly. If it doesn't thicken, bring to a boil on the stove. Add colouring.
Homemade Paint
1 tsp water
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
1/2 tsp food colouring
Mix water, dish detergent and food colouring to make a vivid coloured paint. Make sure your child wears an apron or play clothes.
Soapy Fingerpaint
1 cup soap flakes
1/2 cup water
Food colouring or dry tempera paint
Whip soap flakes with water and tint with colouring. Paint on white shelf paper, wax paper or butcher wrap.
Another Fingerpaint
6 Tbsp sugar
1 cup cornstarch
4 cups cold water
Food colouring
Dish detergent
Mix sugar and cornstarch together. Add cold water. Stir well. Cook over low heat. Stir constantly as you cook until mixture is well blended. Divide into several dishes and colour to desired shades. Add a squirt of dish detergent to make it more fluid.
Homemade Fingerpaint
2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups cold water
2 cups boiling water
Food colouring
Mix flour with salt and add cold water, stirring until smooth. Gradually add this mixture to boiling water. Boil until smooth and thick. Add food colouring, then stir until smooth.
Disappearing Paint
1/8 tsp bluing
2 cups water
Mix bluing with water and let the kids paint the patio. It disappears!
Salt Painting
1/8 cup liquid starch
2 squirts food colouring
1/2 cup table salt
1/8 cup water
Mix ingredients. Give the child(ren) a paper plate, matt or cardboard. Keep stirring mixture. Let the child(ren) apply the mixture with their paint brushes. It will crystallize as it dries and the salt will sparkle in the sunlight to create an interesting effect! Kids will love it!
Squeeze Paint
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
4 plastic bottles (detergent, shampoo)
Mix first 4 ingredients. Divide into bottles. Add different food color to each bottle. Put tops on tightly. Squeeze paint dries like thick glue. Use heavy paper or cardboard.
Try adding sand or sparkles.
Glossy Paint
1/2 cup condensed milk
6 to 8 drops food colouring
Mix condensed milk and food colouring together in a small bowl until completely blended. Repeat above process several times to create different colours. Can be used as high gloss fingerpaint.
One Tbsp liquid tempera paint can be substituted for food colouring to create brighter colours.
Egg Yolk Paint
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp water
Food coloring
Mix egg yolk and water and desired food color. If thickens while standing, add a few drops of water till it thins out again.
Bathtub Fingerpaints
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp liquid detergent
3 Tbsp baby powder
Microwave first 2 ingredients until thick. Add detergent and powder. Divide into 3 containers and add food coloring. Use portions at a time in tub and store remainder in covered containers.
I Can't Believe It's Not Oil Paint
2 Tbsp clear liquid dishwashing detergent
1/2 tsp water
Here's a concoction that captures the look and feel of real oil paint without the expense or mess!
Pour liquid detergent, powdered tempera paint and water into a small bowl or container. Mix the ingredients together until they are completely blended. It can be stored for several weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.
Paint Roller
Pry the top off a roll-on deodorant bottle. Wash it out and fill it with tempera paint. Snap top back on and you have a giant roller pen to paint with.
DOUGHS AND CLAYS
Dough can be plain or coloured. Some will prefer one and some the other. Children love to mix colours together, watching a rainbow dough develop. Dough can be reused, changed around or reworked completely. Creations can be temporary or, in the case of clay, be kept for a very long time. There are a variety of recipes for dough. Children can make the simplest, uncooked type themselves with a little help or supervision.
Hints:
1. Sculpting with dough can get messy, so provide a surface that can be easily cleaned and some old clothes or aprons to wear.
2. Dough gets sticky to handle, so keep a little all-purpose flour to sprinkle over it while working.
3. Add texture to the dough (for variety) by mixing in some rice, pasta or beans.
Dough
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
6 Tbsp hot water
Mix flour and salt. Add hot water and stir until the dough forms a ball. Knead slightly. Dough will keep in sealed plastic bags or plastic tubs in the refrigerator for up to a week.
If you plan to colour the dough before working it, separate the amount for each colour you want and add poster paint to the desired intensity. Knead for approximately 5 minutes, until the colour is worked in and you can roll the dough without it sticking to your hands. Plain coloured dough can be painted after baking.
Shape dough to create Christmas tree ornaments, refrigerator magnets or holiday jewelry. The ideas for shaping, molding and texturing your creations are unlimited, but dough pressed into a cookie mold or cut with a cookie cutter is one way to begin. When joining parts of a design, moisten the dough slightly to help the pieces stick.
After shaping the design, bake the shapes in a 275°F oven for 2 hours, or until hard. After the dough cools, add any accents you want with acrylic paints. When this dries, seal the piece with 1 or 2 coats of clear polyurethane.
Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp oil
Food colouring
Stir first 3 ingredients with fork until well blended. Mix in water, oil and food colouring. Mix with fork until well blended. Knead the mixture until you have a soft ball of dough. Refrigerate until cool. Store in closed plastic bag at room temperature.
Cooked Playdoh
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbsp alum
2 cups water
2 Tbsp oil
Food colouring, Kool-Aid or paint powder
Add all ingredients into pot and cook on medium heat, until it is no longer sticky. Excellent, easy recipe to make with your children.
Microwave Playdoh
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups water
Food colouring
1 cup salt
1 Tbsp alum
1 Tbsp oil
Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and alum in microwave safe casserole dish. Mix water and oil, add to dry mixture. Stir well. Cook in microwave on High for 4 minutes, stirring after each minute. Let cool. Knead on a floured surface, adding food colouring. Keep in sealed container.
Smelly Playdough
2 1/2 cups flour
2 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbsp alum or cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water
3 Tbsp oil
Mix together the first 4 ingredients. Add the water, then oil and mix with a fork. Knead well. Add flour, if needed.
Edible Fun Dough
PEANUT BUTTER AND SYRUP
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered milk
PEANUT BUTTER AND HONEY
1 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups powdered milk
Mix all ingredients together with a spoon. Add more powdered milk, if necessary, to make a workable dough. Knead, shape and eat.
Peanut Butter and Honey: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add more powdered milk, if necessary, to make a workable dough. Form the dough into balls and other shapes.
Note: All edible fun dough should be made, used and eaten the same day.
Play Clay
2 cups (500 g pkg) baking soda
1 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups cold water
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture is the consistency of moist mashed potatoes, turn it out onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth. When cool enough to handle, knead like bread dough. Add a few drops of food colouring for coloured clay, if desired.
Roll out clay on waxed paper to desired thickness. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Poke a hole with a straw for hanging, if desired. Allow objects to dry overnight. Paint hardened clay objects with poster paints or felt markers. Let dry, then coat with varnish or clear nail polish.
Note: Do not allow children to eat play clay.
Uncooked Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
Food colouring (optional)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water (approx)
Mix dry ingredients in bowl with spoon; add oil. Add colouring to water. Then add water to bowl, a little at a time, stirring at first, then mixing with hands and kneading. Dough can be kept in a floured container or plastic bag. If you are planning to keep it for a week or more, put it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Kool-Aid Playdough (Uncooked)
1 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup salt
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small pkg Kool-Aid (or other unsweetened powdered drink)
1 cup boiling water
Mix flour, salt, Kool-Aid and oil together. Add boiling water and stir the ingredients together. Knead mixture until it forms a soft dough.
Cooked Playdough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 Tbsp cream of tartar (some recipes use 4 tsp)
2 cups water
Colouring
In a saucepan, mix dry ingredients. Gradually add oil and water, stirring them in together. Cook on top of the stove over medium heat for 2 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The dough is cooked when the dough follows spoon and leaves the side of the pan and forms a mass. Cool and knead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. It will keep up to 3 months.
Edible Party Playdough
2 cups peanut butter
6 Tbsp honey
Instant milk powder
Combine peanut butter and honey. Add milk powder until of proper consistency. The children can make neat shapes or animals and decorate with nuts, raisins, coconut, chocolate chips or other edibles. Double or triple according to your crowd.
CLAYS
Hints:
1. Clay is messy, so provide a surface that can be wiped clean. Have a spatula and bowl of water nearby for cleaning up and washing hands.
2. Have children work clay with their fingers, kneading, slapping and banging it on table to remove air bubbles. Work until clay is soft. Then roll into balls and push a thumb down into each ball. Fill with water and cover with damp cloth until ready to use.
3. Clay will keep indefinitely in an airtight container.
Children can make this simple Baker's Clay with a little help and supervision. The quantities in the recipe must be used exactly as given. They cannot be halved or doubled.
Baker's Clay
Must be baked afterwards.
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
Mix salt and flour in bowl. Add water, mixing with fingers. If clay is too stiff, add a little more water. When mixed, take clay out of bowl and knead for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Roll and shape decorations and place on baking trays. Insert hair pins, wire or paper clips into backs of decorations to make hooks. Bake in moderate oven, about 325°F (160°C), at least 1 hour.
Decorations can be coloured with paint or felt pens and made more durable by painting with gloss enamel or polyurethane (spray tins are easier), but this is for adults.
Baker's Clay
Doesn't need baking.
2 cups baking soda
1 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups cold water
In a saucepan, mix baking soda and cornstarch. Add water, mixing until smooth. Boil 1 minute, stirring until the texture is like mashed potatoes. Put on plate (or in bowl) and cover with damp cloth until cool. Knead and roll out like dough. Shape decorations; let them dry before decorating.
Leave clay somewhere out of the way to dry out, but not in the sun!
Another Baked Baker's Clay
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup hot water
In bowl, mix together flour and cornstarch. In separate bowl, mix salt and hot water. Add the salt water to dry ingredients. Mix them with a spoon. The particles should stick together. Lift dough out and form into a ball. Knead the ball by squashing it in your hands for 5 to 10 minutes. When the dough is smooth and satiny, form shapes you wish. Lay on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 200°F (100°C) oven and then paint.
Small and thin items take about 2 hours. Larger pieces can take up to 4 hours. If clay is overbaked, it can become brittle and break easy.
Sifto's Baker's Art Dough (Salt Dough Ornaments)
1 part salt (Sifto's)
2 parts flour
1 part water
Colouring, to tint dough (if desired)
Mix and knead for about 2 minutes. You will have a pliable, responsive dough, perfect for creating ornaments, jewellery and figures, or anything your imagination leads to. Use warm water as an adhesive when adding pieces to your original (balls, noses, arms, etc.). Place on foil covered cookie sheet (or form on cookie sheet). Do not grease. Before baking, prick large areas of pieces with fork to allow air to escape. Bake about 135°C or 275°F for 1 hour, or until golden yellow and hard sounding when tapped with a fork.
Fragrant Christmas Tree Ornaments
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup ground cinnamon
Seal securely in plastic bag and squeeze around until dough forms. Roll out and cut into shapes. Let dry for a week. They can then be painted (or not), whatever your heart desires.
Scented Cinnamon Ornaments
7 oz can cinnamon (1 cup)
3/4 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp white glue (craft)
1 Tbsp cloves (ground)
1 Tbsp nutmeg
Ribbon
In medium bowl, combine cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add applesauce and glue. Stir to combine. Work mixture with hands 2 to 3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Divide into 4 portions. On floured surface (just very little), mix cinnamon on surface. Roll each portion to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut dough with floured cookie cutters of desired shapes. Using a straw, make a small hole in top of ornament.
Place cutouts on a wire rack or screening, turning regularly and allow to dry at room temperature for several days. Thread ribbon through ornament hole. Do not eat. Makes about 32 (2 inch) ornaments.
Cinnamon Ornaments
1/3 cup cinnamon
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup applesauce
Mix all ingredients into a dough. Dough will be thick and stiff. Roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Do not use flour board. Cut into shapes and press hole near top of each ornament. Bake at 225°F for 2 hours or air dry for several days. Turn twice a day if no rack available.
Toothpaste Putty
1/2 tsp toothpaste (creamy not gel)
1 tsp white glue
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp water
1 to 2 drops food color
Mix toothpaste, glue, cornstarch and food color in a dish. Mix with 1 finger. Add water. Mix until you have a lump of putty. Squeeze and roll putty into a ball. The more it is rolled, the better it gets. Form into shapes. It will dry rock hard in 24 hours.
Jello Playdough
1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp cream of tartar
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup water
3 oz pkg Jello powder
Combine in pot and cook over medium heat until thick. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Just like regular playdough but becomes coloured and scented when you add a package of your favourite Jello powder.
PASTES (Homemade Glues)
Usually for lightweight gluing. For heavier projects, use white glue or craft glues.
Hints:
1. For fast cleanup, place a plastic bag (use bread or vegetable bag) in your paste bowl and mix paste in it. When finished, throw bag away.
2. Coat your hands with Vaseline for easier paste removal.
Cornstarch Paste
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
Boiling water
Mix cold water and cornstarch to make smooth, white paste. Quickly add boiling water while stirring. Stir until paste is clear. If you plan to keep paste for several days, add a small amount of pine disinfectant and refrigerate.
All-Purpose Flour Paste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cold water
Mix water and flour to make a smooth paste. Boil over low heat for several minutes, stirring continuously. Thin with cold water, if necessary. If you plan to keep paste for several days, add a small amount of pine disinfectant and refrigerate.
Homemade Paste
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
Mix flour with water until smooth. Store in covered container.
More Durable Paste
1/2 cup flour
1 cup boiling water
Add flour to boiling water. Stir over low heat until thick and shiny.
Paper Mache Paste
Be generous with your application of paste. Each paper strip should be covered.
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup warm water
Place flour and salt in bowl. (Salt helps to keep paste from going moldy.) Add warm water. Mix with your hands. It would be like thick, creamy soup. Add more flour to thicken or more water to thin it.
Paper Mache Extra Strength Paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup carpenter's glue
Add water to flour and mix with your hands. Add the carpenter's glue for extra strength.
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