Forming Clay

(Flower made with this clay recipe.)

What You Will Need

2 1/3 cup flour
1 1/3 cup salt
4 teaspoons powdered alum
2 cups boiling water
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
mixing bowl and spoon



Instructions

1. Combine the flour, salt and alum in a mixing bowl. Mix well.



2. Very carefully add the boiling water and vegetable oil.



3. Blend well.



4. Knead until smooth.





Additional Details

The wet-clay should have a consistency similar to bread dough.



Alum can be found in the spice isle of better stocked grocers. It is a pickling spice and not always readily available. (Kid Buckaroo Craft Tip:You may substitute alum with cream of tartar, if necessary.)

This clay will last for weeks in the refrigerator, if stored in an airtight container or freezer bag.



Projects will take 48 hours to dry well.

An unpainted sample project made with this clay recipe and air dried:

Comb Painting

What You Will Need

thick coloured construction paper (or cardboard)
2.5 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons of water
about 10 drops of food colouring
comb (flat, not curved, along exposed end of teeth)
mixing bowl and spoon



Instructions

1. Mix flour and water well, smoothing out bumps.



2. Add food colouring to mixture. Mix well.



3. Spread the paste on the paper.



4. Drag the comb through the paint for different effects.


Additional Details

Use combs with assorted spaced and sized teeth for different effects.

This recipe makes about 6 tablespoons of comb paint.

Puffy Paint Recipe

What You Will Need

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup water
about 12 drops of food colouring
squeeze bottle
thick paper or cardboard
bowl and spoon for mixing



Instructions

1. Mix the flour, salt and water.



2. Add the food colouring.



3. Fill the squeeze bottle with the paint.



4. Repeat this entire procedure for each paint colour that you want.




(Puffy paint picture of "a shiny day" by Thomas, age 2)

Additional Details

This recipe makes 1 cup of paint.

Depending on how thickly you have painted, it may take many hours to completely dry.

The paint will be puffy with a slight sparkle when dry.

To transfer your paint easily into the bottle (step 3), choose a bottle with a wide opening. Here we have used an old mustard container.

The cardboard we used in this project was the inside of an old cereal box.

Kool-Aid PlayDough

What You Will Need

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water



Instructions

1. Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and Kool-Aid in a medium pot.

2. Add the water and oil.



3. Stir over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes.



4. Stir constantly. When the mixture forms a ball in the pot, set aside to cool.



5. Knead until smooth.

Additional Details

Store the Kool-Aid playdough in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

This playdough has the same consistency as store-quality playdough.

This playdough smells wonderful.

Craft Glitter

What You Will Need

1/4 cup table salt
12 drops of food colouring (any colour)




Instructions

1. Add food colouring to salt.



2. Mix well.


3. Microwave the salt on a plate for 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Store in an air-tight container.

Paper Mache Paste - Easy

What You Will Need

1 cup flour
2 cups water
2 teaspoons of salt
fork or whisk to mix



Instructions

1. Mix the flour, salt and water.



2. Mix well to get out all the lumps.



3. The paste should have the consistency of thick glue. Add more water or flour, if necessary.

Additional Details

This paste will last a few days, refrigerated and covered.

That's it!
Super easy.

Ooblick - Crazy Sludge

What You Will Need

1 cup cornstarch
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup water
a few drops of food colouring
a mixing bowl



Instructions

1. Dump the cornstarch and baking soda in a bowl. Mix well.

2. Pour the drops of food colouring into the water.


3. Slowly pour the water mixture into the dry mixture.



4. Mix with your hands. At first the Ooblick will be crumbly until well mixed.

Additional Details

Ooblick is crazy stuff. It acts like a liquid (it will pour and splatter) and a solid (it will shatter, crack, crumble) at the same time.

The ooblick doesn't last long, maybe an hour before it looses it properties, so have your fun immediately!

Wait for the mess to dry for easy clean up.

Easiest Playdough

What You Will Need

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons of oil
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
food colouring



Instructions

1. Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil. Add the water slowly.

2. Cook, over medium heat, stirring until the dough becomes stiff.


3. Turn onto wax paper and let cool.


4. Knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth. Divide the batch into smaller balls to be coloured with different dyes. Add a few drops of the food colouring.


5. Knead the colour through the playdough.


6. Play.

When not using the playdough keep it in an airtight container.