Homemade Clay Recipes

Use the following recipes to make clay that can be rolled or shaped into sculptures. Some clays should be dried overnight, while others are best baked in an oven. When hard, sculptures can be decorated and preserved with acrylic paint or finish.

Modeling Clay

Materials

• 2 cups salt
• 2/3 cups water
• Saucepan
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cold water

Directions

1. Stir salt and water in a saucepan over heat 4-5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat; add cornstarch and cold water.
3. Stir until smooth; return to heat and cook until thick.
4. Allow the clay to cool, then shape as desired.
5. When dry, decorate with paint, markers, glitter, and so on.
6. If you like, finish with clear acrylic spray or clear nail polish.
7. Store unused clay in a Ziploc bag.

Bread Clay

Materials

• 6 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 6 tablespoons white glue
• 1/2 teaspoon detergent or 2 teaspoons glycerine
• Food coloring
• Paintbrush
• Equal parts white glue and water
• Acrylic paint or spray or clear nail polish

Directions

1. Knead bread with glue plus detergent or glycerine until the mixture is no longer sticky.
2. Separate into portions and tint with food coloring.
3. Let your child shape the clay.
4. Brush the sculpture with equal parts glue and water for a smooth appearance.
5. Let dry overnight.
6. Use acrylic paints or spray or clear nail polish to seal and preserve.

Baker's Clay

Materials

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 teaspoon alum
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Food coloring (optional)
• Large bowl
• Cookie cutters, drinking straw, and fine wire (optional)
• Baking sheet
• Fine sandpaper
• Plastic-based poster paint, acrylic paint, or markers
• Clear shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish

Directions

1. Mix flour, salt, alum, and water in bowl. If dough is too dry, knead in another tablespoon of water.
2. Dough can be colored by dividing it into several parts and kneading a few drops of food coloring into each part.
3. Roll or mold into ornaments.
   • To roll: Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters dipped in flour. Make a hole for hanging by dipping the end of a drinking straw in flour and using the straw to cut a tiny circle 1/4 inch from the ornament's edge. You can also use the straw to cut more clay dots for use as decorations.
   • To mold: Shape dough into figures such as flowers, fruits, animals, and so on. The figures should be no more than 1/2 inch thick.
4. Insert fine wire in ornaments for hanging.
5. Bake ornaments on an ungreased baking sheet for about 30 minutes at 250ºF.
6. Turn and bake another 90 minutes until hard and dry.
7. Remove from oven and cool, then smooth with fine sandpaper.
8. Decorate both sides of ornaments with plastic-based poster paint, acrylic paint, or markers.
9. Let dry and seal with clear shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish. Makes about five dozen 21/2-inch ornaments.

No-Bake Craft Clay

Materials

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• 2 cups baking soda (1 pound)
• Saucepan
• Food coloring (optional)
• Plate
• Damp cloth
• Tempera or acrylic paints (optional)
• Clear shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish

Directions

1. Combine cornstarch, water, and baking soda in saucepan; stir over medium heat for about 4 minutes until mixture thickens to a moist mashed-potato consistency. (For colored clay, add a few drops of food coloring to the water before it is mixed with cornstarch and baking soda.)
2. Remove from heat, turn onto plate, and cover with a damp cloth until cool.
3. Knead until smooth.
4. Shape as desired or store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
5. Dry sculptures overnight, then paint with tempera or acrylic.
6. Seal with shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish.

No-Bake Cookie Clay

Materials

• 2 cups salt
• 2/3 cup water
• Medium saucepan
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cold water
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutters
• Drinking straw
• Paint, glitter, and other decorative materials

Directions

1. Mix salt with 2/3 cup water in saucepan.
2. Stir and boil until salt dissolves.
3. Remove from heat. Add cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water and stir. If mixture doesn't immediately thicken, heat and stir until it does.
4. Sprinkle cornstarch on table and rolling pin.
5. Roll out clay and cut with cookie cutters. Use straw to make holes for hanging.
6. Let dry overnight and decorate with paint, glitter, and so on.
7. Remind your child that these ornaments are not edible!

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/sculpting/recipes/37041.html?#ixzz1F5hSK6Qn

Homemade Playdough Recipes

Everyone seems to have a favorite playdough recipe, and many old favorites have been included here. Some require cooking and some don't; some are meant to be eaten and some are not. Choose the recipe that best suits your needs and the ingredients you have on hand. Store playdough in a covered container or Ziploc bag. If it sweats a little, just add more flour. For sensory variety, use playdough warm or cool as well as at room temperature.
Uncooked Playdough
Materials

• Bowl
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• Tempera paint or food coloring
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. In bowl, mix water, salt, oil, and enough tempera paint or food coloring to make a bright color.
2. Gradually add flour and cornstarch until the mixture reaches the consistency of bread dough.
3. Store covered.

Colored Playdough
Materials

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• Food coloring
• Saucepan
• 1 cup flour

Directions

1. Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.
2. Remove from heat and add flour.
3. Stir, then knead until smooth. The cream of tartar makes this dough last 6 months or longer, so resist the temptation to omit this ingredient if you don't have it on hand.
4. Store this dough in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag.

Salt Playdough
Materials

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flour plus additional flour
• Saucepan

Directions

1. Mix salt, water, and flour in saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat when mixture is thick and rubbery.
3. As the mixture cools, knead in enough flour to make the dough workable.

Oatmeal Playdough
Materials

• 1 part flour
• 1 part water
• 2 parts oatmeal
• Bowl

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well and knead until smooth.
2. This playdough is not intended to be eaten, but it will not hurt a child who decides to taste it.
3. Store covered in refrigerator.
4. Your child can make this playdough without help; however, it doesn't last as long as cooked playdough.

Peanut Butter Playdough
Materials

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 6 tablespoons honey
• Nonfat dry milk or milk plus flour
• Cocoa or carob for chocolate flavor (optional)
• Edible treats for decoration

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix, adding enough dry milk or milk plus flour to reach the consistency of bread dough.
2. Add cocoa or carob, if desired.
3. Shape, decorate with edible treats, and eat!

Kool-Aid Playdough
Materials

• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 cups water
• Saucepan
• Food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid powder for color
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 2 tablespoons alum

Directions

1. Combine salt and water in saucepan and boil until salt dissolves.
2. Remove from heat and tint with food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid.
3. Add oil, flour, and alum.
4. Knead until smooth.
5. This dough will last 2 months or longer.

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/sculpting/recipes/37040.html?#ixzz1F5geCztW

Homemade glue

mix 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 cups of water (you might need a bit more or less) and 1 tsp of vinegar. Then you warm it up on the stove till it thickens a little bit, let is cool and it is ready to use.

Source: http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/26/homemade-glue-for-kids-crafts/

on-the-go car activity mat

Designer: Lisa Storms

I created this on-the-go activity mat for my 3 year old, who always wants to haul his car and tracks around with him when we leave the house. Not only is it a confined (and super cute) play area, it also comes with pockets for his matchbox cars. The whole thing rolls up into a neat, small bundle that is tied together for extra security. I don't know if my son will have more fun playing with it or if I had more fun making it! I am glad I had my versatile and high quality Fiskars sewing tools to make this project go together easily.
Instructions (Print version)

Roads

1. To keep the road structure very simple, cut out four 5" x 7" pieces of scrap paper and place them in a grid on a half yard of gray felt on a cutting mat two inches from the edges and from each other. (You can alternately draw out any road system you can imagine free-handed to cut out.)
   
2. Draw around each with disappearing ink fabric marker and remove. Draw in any driveways needs (I added one for the car wash).
   
3. Cut out all marked areas out with ruler and rotary cutter.
4. Trace roadway onto iron-on adhesive paper and trim.
   
5. Follow packaging instructions to iron onto roadway and iron roadway onto green base fabric.
6. Once cooled and secure, sew around all road edges with gray thread.
   
7. Add a running stitch of yellow embroidery floss through all roads. Note: I didn't worry about where dotted lines would be on a real road since kids this young aren't usually aware of what the lines mean and crashing is the most fun part of playing cars anyway, right?
8. Trim green base fabric 1 ¼" around top, right, and left side of roadway. Trim fabric 4 ¾" from left side of roadway.

Gas Station

1. Cut out felt gas pump and canopy using a rotary cutter and ruler.
2. Cut off 5" from end of black shoe string and securely (several times) sew trimmed end onto green base.
3. Sew all felt pieces onto base with gas pump covering sewn-on shoe string.

Car Wash

1. Cut out felt pieces for stop sign, building, roof, and washing flaps.
2. Sew on all pieces as shown being sure to add flaps first so tops are covered by building.
3. Sew on four clear button bubbles.

Pond

1. Cut out pond, lily pad, grass, and cattail.
2. Sew all pieces onto green base adding stems on cattails with thread.
3. Sew silk flowers onto lily pad with button center.

Construction Site

1. Cut out felt dirt mound and safety cone.
2. Sew all pieces onto green base. Sew only one line through safety cone as shown so it can be pushed up during play.
3. Add "under construction" ribbon or twill around dirt mound by sewing down with embroidery floss every couple inches.

Pockets

1. Fold blue fabric in half (iron crease) and trim to 3 ¾" wide and the length of your green fabric.
2. Sew ribbon trim along folded side of fabric.
3. Lay onto left margin of green base and pin evenly approximately every 3 inches.
4. Sew line at each pin to form six compartments.

Final Assembly

1. Fold wide checkered ribbons in half and sew down each edge to form thinner ties.
2. Lay green base over striped exterior fabric and trim to size using ruler and rotary trimmer.
3. Place fabrics right sides together and pin, adding two long ribbons folded in half pinned into the inside of the fabrics.
4. Sew around perimeter leaving 5" gap to pull mat right side out.
5. Use stuffing tool to create neat edges and corners and iron perimeter.
6. Hem and pin 5" opening and sew final stitch around entire mat.

Tip: Be sure to customize your car mat for the age of the child. For example, for a young toddler you should consider forgoing any buttons or small pieces and replacing the ribbons with a velcro closure.


resource: http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/

赏识孩子绘画的相框

赏识孩子的创作和绘画天份在孩子成长的过程中扮演着很重要的角色。
当我们能够把孩子的创作挂在家里、学校或者办公室， 这小小的举动便能给孩子大大的鼓舞， 让他们得以继续发挥他们的创造能力。

Improvements 的 Dynamic Artwork Frame便是一个可以让我们展示孩子绘画的相框。每一个相框大可装进大约50张图画， 除了可以展示， 更是一个储藏的孩子佳作的好地方！

此外这个也是一份送给孩子最好的礼物。