Fun Crafts for Kids: Make This 3 Ingredient Clay

This easy clay will give you and your kids hours of fun!

They can play with the clay creating all sorts of things that you can let dry and then paint. This clay is great for making tree ornaments that you can give as gifts for Christmas; you can make hand prints for a Mother's Day or Father's Day gift. Use your imagination and have fun!

3 Simple Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Corn Starch
• 1 Cup Baking Soda
• 3/4 Cup Water

DIY Gift: You could fill a mason jar with the dry ingredients, decorate the jar with a ribbon, and add the instructions tied around the neck.

Instructions

Put the dry ingredients into a medium saucepan/ pot

Pour in the water then whisk until it is smooth. (Note: if you want coloured dough, add the food colouring now)

On the stove, turn on the heat to medium and let it come to a low boil, stirring so the bottom doesn't stick.

Once it starts coming together and looks like mashed potatoes, take it off the heat and let it cool until you can comfortably touch it. (Don't leave it uncovered and forget about it or it will start to dry out!)

Knead the dough until it is smooth. To use later, make a ball and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.

Fun Things To Make With Your Clay

There are lots of fun crafts that you can make with this clay. Here are just a few ideas ...

Handprints:

Roll out the dough on parchment paper, press your hand into the dough, then cut around the handprint in a square or circle. Dust hands with corn starch, or make hands wet, so the dough doesn't stick.  Use the dough when it is still slightly warm (as opposed to being in the fridge for a day) as it will make a better hand print. Once dry, paint and decorate however you want!

Beads:

Make a key chain bead! Roll the bead, poke a hole through with a toothpick, let dry, then paint.

Picture Frame:

When this clay dries, it is light. You could make a picture frame without it being too heavy.

On parchment, roll out the dough to about 0.5 cm- 0.75cm. Lightly mark a square, or any shape you want for a photo, then, mark a bigger square or shape around that. Cut out the inner square. Cut the lines of the outer square then peel away the clay surrounding it. Let the frame dry until it is hard enough to flip without breaking, then flip it to dry some more.

Once dry, paint and decorate as you want!

Drink Coaster:

Using a cup or a round cookie cutter, cut out circles, let them dry then decorate!

Sculptures:

Thick creations will take longer to dry and will often crack but... nothing's perfect!

Whatever you think of, try it! 

Drying Instructions

Let dry for a day or so (depending on how thick you make the items). You will know it's completely dry by the feel and look. It will be solid white and won't feel damp.

You can also dry in the oven, on a sheet pan, at a VERY LOW temperature to help speed up the process, flipping the items over every once in a while so it dries evenly.
If you have a wire rack, putting pieces on there to dry (in or out of the oven) will help them dry more evenly. Put the items on the rack once they've dried enough to be moved from the parchment.

Decorating

You can paint the clay with acrylics, draw with markers and pencil crayons, glue on beads and sparkles, and seal with clear glitter paint or a paint sealer. Note, if you use markers, clear glitter paint or a sealer may cause the marker to run a bit.

Have fun making something special!