BAKER´S CLAY RECIPE

Combine well the following ingredients.
4 cups All -purpose flour
1 cup Salt

Then add:
1 ½ cups Cold water
And mix well.

Knead for at least 10 minutes. (Can be processed in a food processor.) After sculpting, allow to air dry overnight or bake at 200 - 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 - 3 hours. Good for Christmas ornaments be sure to use a straw to make a hole on top for hanging. Best if made 1 day in advance and kept in airtight container overnight.

WHITE GLUE

Bring to a full rolling boil:
¾ cup Water
2 tbsp. Corn syrup
1 tsp. White vinegar
In a separate bowl mix:
½ cup Cornstarch
¾ cup Cold water
Stirring constantly, combine both mixtures. Let stand a few minutes to thicken before using.

CLAY

4 cups Flour
1 cup Salt
1 tsp. Powdered alum
1 1/2 cups Water
Food coloring
Mix all ingredients in bowl. If too dry, work in extra water with hands. Color by dividing and adding food coloring to each portion. Roll or mold as desired. Once molded or rolled bake on un-greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes in 250-degree oven. Turn and bake another 1 1/2 hours. Remove and cool. When done, sand lightly if desired and paint.

SHAPED SPONGES

Shaped sponges can be easily made to go along with any type of theme or art activity. You can cut cellulose sponges to geometric shapes, or you can purchase pre cut shapes. Another idea is to purchase at your local craft supply store the sponges that are condensed flat; you then draw a shape on the flat surface and cut out. When these sponges are submerged in water the shape is easy to use. Younger kids often use them to paint, while older kids use them to print, sometimes creating their own patterns and designs. They can be used in the water too; making prints on the sidewalk is fun! A great party activity!

PASTE AND GLUE INTRO

By definition, the dictionary defines Paste as "a preparation of flour and starch and water, used as an adhesive". It defines Glue as "A strong adhesive substance, a solution for sticking things together." So you will find I have many more paste recipes than glue. I don´t propose you will ever need as many paste or glue recipes as I have here. However, different recipes have different uses and I hope you find one that suits your needs. (I also hope you find one you have the ingredients for when you need it!)

CHOCOLATE FLAVOURED PLAYDOUGH

Mix together
1 1/4 cups Flour,
1/2 cup Cocoa powder,
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar.
Add
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cooking oil
1 cup Boiling water.
Stir quickly, mix well. Cook over low heat until dough forms a ball. When cool , mix with your
hands. Store in airtight container. It will smell pretty good too.

CORNSTARCH CLAY RECIPE

Heat 2 2/3 cups water over low heat until bubbly
Remove from heat and add 1-cup cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup cold water.
Stir quickly; mix with hands if necessary. If too dry add a few drops of water.
Pliable like play dough this clay can be left out to dry for 36 hours and it will become very hard and can be painted.

DISPOSABLE PAINT PALETTES

Save your Styrofoam meat trays for the children´s painting projects. Use a teaspoon of a number of different colored paints on this paint palette rather than using a cup. Easy clean up!

NATURE´S PLAY-DOUGH

Named Nature´s Play-dough because you dye it with vegetable juice.
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Salt
1 cup Water
2 Tbsp. Oil
2 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar
Beet, spinach, and carrot juice
Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over med. heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your hands until of proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of the vegetable juices to make green, pink, and orange.

BASIC BENTONITE EXTENDER

2 cups Bentonite (powdered can be purchased at most ceramic supply stores)
2 quarts water
1/2 cup Soap powder
Gradually add water to bentonite and mix well with beater. (A blender is preferred. If it is used start by filling the container half-full of water and add bentonite gradually. Turn blender off for a few seconds to check the consistency. Let mixture stand in a crock or plastic container for two to three days- stirring well each day. DO NOT use a METAL container.
Helpful Hints:
1. An extender, like bentonite reduces paint cost and gives the desired consistency. Also can be added to tempera to make finger-paint.
2. Soap makes paint easier to wash out and helps it adhere to slick surfaces like glass and cellophane.
3. Detergent keeps paint from cracking when the paint dries.
4. Alum is a preservative. Glycerin and oil of wintergreen (or clove) keep paint mixtures fresh.
5. Condensed milk gives paint a glossy finish.
EASEL PAINT
For large quantity needs.
6-8 tbsp. Extender (above or other)
1 One- pound can of powdered paint
3 cups Liquid starch
2 Tbsp. Soap flakes
Water
Put the extender in a large container, such as a one-quart plastic juice container. Gradually stir in the powdered paint and liquid starch, mixing well. Add soap powder. Add water until mixture reaches desired consistency. This recipe makes a large enough quantity so that it can be stored and poured out into small juice cans each day as needed. The paint will thicken and will need stirring and possibly more water.

NON-HARDENING PLAY DOUGH (NO COOK)

3 cups Flour
3 Tbsp. Alum
1/2 cup Salt
2 Tbsp. Cooking oil
2 cups Boiling water
Add 10 drops food coloring to liquid or 2-3 Tbsp. dry tempera to flour. Adjust color intensity as desired. Mix in order given. Can use a dough mixer, mix-master, or stir with a spoon. Knead well. Keeps up to 6 months in a heavy plastic zip-lock bag.

CARDBOARD SQUARES

Cardboard Rolls - Bathroom Tissue, Paper Towels, etc.
Take a plain roll; cut it all the way down one side. Do this to several and flatten them as much as possible. Weight them down with a heavy book or other object for a day or two. You have some nice little squares of cardboard for other projects.

PLAYDOUGH - Strawberry

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

Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar and Kool-Aid in a medium saucepan. Add water and oil. Stir over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes. When mixture forms a ball in pan, remove. Knead until smooth. Store in a covered plastic container.

KOOL-AID PLAY DOUGH -2

To make this very popular play dough you will need:
5 Cups White flour
1 cup of Salt
4 Pkgs. of Kool-Aid (same color)
6 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
4 Cups of Boiling water
Mix, knead and cover when cool.
This is a large recipe so for me I usually cut it in half. To keep it soft for a maximum amount of time it is a good idea to keep it refrigerated. (Mine has lasted for well over three months of play).

SALT PASTE -COLORED

2 cups Salt
1 cups Flour
Powdered paint
Water
Mix salt and flour. Add powdered paint. Gradually stir in enough water to make a smooth, heavy paste. This mix can be used like regular paste. Store in airtight container.

MUD

Yep, I said mud. Handy, just go outdoors and get a shovel full of dirt. Place it in a bowl and add a small amount of water. (Remove worms if you are going to allow your child´s creation to dry). To dry the mud creations, just set them in the sun!

THIN PASTE

1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Non-self-rising flour
1/2 tsp. Powdered alum
1-3/4 cups Water
1/tsp. Oil of cinnamon (or Oil of wintergreen)
In a medium-sized pan, mix together sugar, flour and alum. Gradually add 1 cup water, stirring vigorously to break up lumps. Boil until clear and smooth stirring constantly. Add remaining water and oil of cinnamon. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Makes one pint. Spread paste with a brush. Thin Paste is an excellent adhesive for scrapbooks, collages, and Strip Papier-mâché´. This paste can be stored in a jar for several months without refrigeration.

APPLESAUCE DOUGH

1 lb. jar Sweetened applesauce
8 oz Cinnamon
Drain jar of applesauce overnight. (Don´t skip that part.) Add 8 ounces of cinnamon to this and mix together well. Pat into a ball, press hard to solidify and mix. Then pat out in 1 cup units onto wax paper, push to 1/4" to ½" thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Dry.

BREAD DOUGH

You can make simple dough for your child to make small items with just a slice of bread and some glue!
You will need equal parts of Bread (about 2 slices) and white glue and food coloring (I like the paste kind for this recipe.)
Crumple bread into small pieces Add glue. Mix immediately if too dry or sticky add a few drops of water
Add food coloring This is just like clay, but you need to be careful not to crumble it, or hold it in your hand for too long (it may get sticky and stick to your hand) Takes about an hour to dry.