Native Americans made their own beads and pottery out of clay from the earth, encourage your child to do the same with this air-dry clay!
You’ll need:
- Saucepan
- 1 C. cornstarch
- 2 C. baking soda
- 1 ¼ C. water
- Food coloring (optional)
- Non-toxic paint
- Paintbrushes
Directions:
Ask your child to help you measure out the ingredients and put them into a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Remove from heat and let cool.
Ask your child to help you knead the cooled clay for a few minutes. Put the clay in an airtight container for 2 hours to set. Once set, help your child to create bowls, dishes, cups, beads, and other fun things with the clay. When the creations are finished, and the clay has had a couple of days to dry, your child can paint them.
If your child makes clay beads, show him/her how to string them onto yarn to make a necklace. If your child makes a container, put something in it such as nuts or some other dry food. Let everyone enjoy your child’s creations by displaying them on your table or around your home.
Tip: One way to make beads out of the clay is to roll the clay into balls (or some other shape) and push a straw, tooth pick or a skewer through the middle of the shape, paint when dry.
Note: If you would like the clay to be one color, add food coloring while kneading. If you separate the clay, different colors can be made. Let your child to mix colors to get new ones! (red + blue = purple, blue + yellow = green, red + yellow = orange, etc.) Keep each color in an airtight container or zip-top bag when not in use and it will keep for a couple of weeks.
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