Craft Recipes
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Body Paints
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2 c Non-irritating baby shampoo
WARNING: Non-Edible powdered tempura paints
Divide the shampoo into two or more portions (depending on number of
children who will playing). Stir in enough tempura paints to make a medium-density
color. Outside: The children can smooth this onto their bodies, lathering
to make shapes and designs. This comes off easily by running through the
sprinklers.
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Bread Edible Fundough
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1/2 c Hot water
1/2 c Canned evaporated milk
1 ts Salt
2 tb Sugar
2 tb Oil
1/2 pk Dry yeast dissolve in 2 additional tablespoons warm water
3 c Flour Raisins (optional)
Mix together all ingredients except the flour and raisins. Stir in
2 cups flour. Add more flour until dough leaves the sides of the bowl and
can be kneaded. Divide into portions. Continue kneading single portions
until dough becomes springy. Add raisins if desired, and knead them in.
Let the dough rise until double in size. Knead it down again. Let the dough
rise for a second time. Knead it down again. Shape dough into balls or
other forms. Place shapes onto an oiled pan and let them rise again until
double in size. Bake at 375 degrees F until lightly brown.
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Bubble Solution
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1/3 c Dish soap or baby shampoo
1 1/4 c Water
2 ts Sugar
1 Food colouring
Combine ingredients and pour into an unbreakable bottle. To blow bubbles,
experiment using plastic straws, pipe cleaners formed into loops, strawberry
baskets from grocery store, spoons with holes in them and other items you
think of.
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Face Paints
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6 ts Corn starch;divided
3 ts Water; divided
3 ts Cold cream; divided
Food coloring
6 c Muffin tin
In each cup of the muffin tin, put 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon
each of cold cream and water. Add a different color food coloring to each
cup. Mix well. Now you are ready. See if you can get your grown-up
assistant to sit still and let you practice.
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Classroom Paste
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1 cup non-self-rising wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
4 cups boiling water
1 tbls. powdered alum
1/2 tsp. oil of cinnamon (optional)
1. Combine flour and sugar in a large pot. Slowly stir in cold water
to form a paste. 2. Slowly add boiling water, stirring vigorously
to break up lumps.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick and clear.
4. Remove from heat and add alum. Stir until well mixed.
5. Add oil of cinnamon if paste will not be used immediately.
Makes 1 1/2 quarts. How to Use it: Classroom paste is a good all-purpose
paste, especially appropriate for work with children. It is also excellent
for papier-mache projects. Stored in a closely capped jar, this paste
will keep for several weeks. It keeps longer then Paper Paste and
is a little softer. If it gets too thick it can be thinned with hot water
for easy spreading.
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Cloud Dough
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3 c Flour
2 tb Powdered tempera
1/2 c Salad oil
Water
Mix together the flour, tempera, and oil. Add enough water to make
a soft, pliable, elastic-like dough. This dough does not keep well.
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Coffee Grounds Dough
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2 c Used, dry coffee grounds
1/2 c Salt
1 1/2 c Cornmeal
Warm water
Mix dry ingredients together. Add enough warm water to moisten.
This dough has a unique texture and is good to roll, pat, and pound.
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Collage or Decoupage Glue
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3 parts white household glue*
1 part warm water
*A thin solution of Paperhanger's Paste or Waterproof or Glass Glue
can be substituted.
1. Combine glue with water in a jar or bottle with a screw top lid.
2. Shake until well mixed.
How to use it: To make a collage, brush a thin layer of glue to the
back surface of paper scraps or pictures and smooth them onto a piece of
cardboard.
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Cooked Salt-and-Flour Clay
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3/4 cup salt
3/4 cup non-self-rising flour
2 tsp. powdered alum
3/4 cup water
2 tbls. vegetable oil food colouring
1. Mix salt, 1/2 cup flour, and alum in a saucepan.
2. Add water slowly, stirring to break up lumps.
3. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture
is rubbery and difficult to stir. It should not be sticky when touched.
4. Add vegetable oil. Stir until blended.
5. Turn out onto a plate or aluminum foil. Set aside until cool enough
to handle.
6. If more than one colour is desired, divide mixture into portions
and to each portion add a different colour. Knead until colour is blended.
7. Add up to 1/4 cup flour if clay is sticky. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
How to Use: Model as with any clay. Press clay into molds or use it
to makes beads. (Pierce holes in beads before clay dries). This clay hardens
in 1 or 2 days;do not bake. Store in an airtight container.
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Crystal Gardens
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6 tb Salt
6 tb Liquid bluing
6 tb Water
1 tb Ammonia
Combine salt, bluing, water and ammonia. Pour over small pieces of
rock or coal in a shallow GLASS or CHINA bowl. Drip food coloring on top
if desire. Crystals will begin to grow soon. Add water occasionally to
keep crystals growing. You'll probably want to place dish on tray or wooden
board as crystals grow over the sides of the bowl.
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Dryer Lint Clay
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1 1/2 c Lint from the dryer
1 c Water
1/2 c Regular flour
2 dr Wintergreen mint flavouring
Old newspaper Paint
Place the lint in a saucepan and cover it with the water. When
the lint is saturated, add the flour and stir until it is smooth.
Add the drops of wintergreen oil flavouring. Cook the mixture, stirring
constantly, until it forms peaks and holds together. Pour it onto
newspaper to cool. Shape and model figures, or cover a form with
it, such as a balloon. Allow to dry for 3 to 5 days, then paint and
decorate as required.
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Edible Playdough
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2 c Smooth peanut butter
2 c Rolled oats
2 c Dried milk
2/3 c Honey
Optional
Rice Krispies
Coconut sprinkles
Chocolate chips
Red hots
Tiny olives
Cocktail onions
Get your kids to mix all the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Have them wash their hands while you cover the kitchen with wax paper to
make a work surface for them. Give them the bowl of playdough and leave
them to it. Store in an airtight container.
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Eggshell Chalk
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6 Eggshells
1 ts Very hot water from the tap
1 ts Flour
The eggshells should be washed so they don't have any egg left in them.
Dry them well. Take them outside and grind them with a rock on the sidewalk
or other concrete surface. Make sure the rock you're using for grinding
is clean so you don't get dirt ground in with the eggshells. Grind the
eggshells into a fine powder. You'll need one soupspoonful of this powder
to make a stick of chalk. When you're absolutely sick of grinding
and have enough powder, pick out any little bits of eggshell that are still
not ground up and throw them away. Scoop the eggshell powder into a paper
towel and bring it into the house for the next part. Measure the
flour and the hot water into a small dish. Stir them together to make a
paste. Put the soupspoonful of eggshell powder into the paste and mix well.
It may help to mash it with the back of the spoon. Shape this mixture
into a chalk stick. Then roll it up in a strip of paper towel. Let it dry.
Drying takes about three days, so put it in a safe place and get on with
your life. After three days it's ready to use. Just peel the paper off
one end and you're ready for some sidewalk art. (This chalk is for
the sidewalks only, not for chalkboards.)
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Giant Bubble Liquid
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1/2 c Joy or Dawn dish detergent
5 c Water; distilled is best
2 tb Glycerine
Mix the dish detergent with the water. (Measure carefully, it makes
a big difference. Stir. Add the glycerine (you can usually get this in
a drug store), this makes more durable bubbles. You can bend a wire coat
hanger into a circle and wind a string around it. Depending on how big
you make your circle, you get great big bubbles. The string helps in getting
the liquid to stay on the circle. You can also use straws and string-Tie
a 2 1/2 foot length of string through 2 straws and unleash square bubbles.
The trick is to dip your string and straw thing into the solution, then
wave it through the air. Break the bubble off by flipping the apparatus
up a bit. Plain straws make good bubble pipes. Also try using the plastic
strawberry baskets, they make lots of little bubbles. It is fun to experiment
with all different bubble makers. Big-time bubble making is a bit like
fishing. You'll have much better luck in cool wet weather. Early evenings,
nighttime and early mornings are often good. Just after a rain is ideal.
Don't throw any leftovers away either. The longer your solution sits, the
better it gets.
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Modelling Clay
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1 c Flour
1/2 c Salt
1/2 tb Cooking oil
2 tb Cream of tartar
1 c Water Food colouring
Mix all ingredients in a pot and cook over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes.
Do not overcook. Cool the mixture until you can easily handle it. When
cool enough to handle, knead it until smooth. Store in plastic bag or container.
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Rock Candy
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1 Glass jar or drinking glass
1 Piece of cotton string
1 Pencil or stick
1 Paper clip
1 Food coloring (optional)
1 c Water
2 c Sugar
Additional sugar
Tie a short piece of cotton string to the middle of the pencil or stick.
Attach a paper clip to the end of the string for a weight. Moisten the
string very lightly, and roll in a bit of sugar (this will "attract" the
sugar crystals from the syrup to the string). Place the pencil or stick
over the top of the glass or jar with the string hanging down inside.
Heat the water to boiling, and dissolve the 2 cups of sugar into it. For
the biggest crystals FAST, heat the sugar-water solution a SECOND time,
and dissolve as much additional sugar as you can into it. Add a few drops
of food coloring to the solution if desired. Pour the solution into
the prepared glass or jar and leave undisturbed for a couple of days. Depending
on how much sugar you were able to dissolve into the water, you should
start to see crystals growing in a few hours to a few days.
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Play Dough
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2 c Flour
1 c Salt
4 tb Cream of tartar
2 c (very) cold water
4 ts Food color; -=OR=- 1 pk Kool-Aid
Mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan over high to
medium high heat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir till boiling 3-5 minutes
(make sure it does not scorch). Take off heat. Let cool. Store in sealed
plastic ware. (Tupperware or Rubbermaid)
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Potpourri Gel Jars
By: AngelCrisy
2 cups Distilled Water
4 packages Un-flavored Gelatin
50 drops Essential Oil -- (for fragrance)
Food Coloring -- as desired
Heat one cup water in medium sized saucepan. Add gelatin, stirring
to
dissolve. Remove from heat and add remaining 1 cup of liquid as well
as
food coloring, and stir until dissolved. Put drops of essential oil
into
jars then add gelatin mixture. Place in fridge for approximately 2
hours. Remove, cover with plastic wrap or lid if you have one, and
store
at room temperature. To release the scent simply remove the lid...
and
when you are finished make sure you re-cover the jar so all the scent
doesn't evaporate.
This recipe makes four gel jars/ aprox. 4 oz each.
To decorate for gifts, tie ribbon or lace around the neck of the jar
or
add silk/dried flowers to the bow. It works very well to cut a circle
of
lace which can be reapplied after removing lid, by screwing the band
on
over the lace. This will allow the scent to be enjoyed as well as
keeping the jar decorative while it is being used.
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Slime
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2 c White glue (Elmer's)
1 1/2 c Water Food colouring of choice
1 ts Borax
1/2 c Water
Mix the glue, 1 1/2 c water and food color until it's not sticky. Separately
dissolve the borax and 1/2 c water. Add to the glue solution. You will
get a very thick clump of Slime where the two mix. Now you must work in
the rest of the solution. With clean hands, knead the Slime to get it to
mix. This will take about 10 minutes or so, and is not very difficult as
the Slime easily separates between your fingers. If you desire a looser,
more slimy texture, add a bit more water and knead it in. The more slimy
this is, though, the more apt it is to get stuck in any fabric it comes
in contact with.
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Soap Crayons
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1 c Soap flakes
Food colouring
2 tb Hot water
Have one large bowl and several small bowls, one for each color. You
will also need an ice cube tray with different sections, or containers
to act as small molds. Put soap flakes in a large bowl and drop the
hot water into the soap flakes, stirring constantly. The mixture will be
extremely thick and hard to stir. Spoon some of the soap into each
of the small bowls and color each separately, adding the color by drops
until the soap has the consistency of a very thick paste. Press spoonfuls
of the soap into your molds and set the crayons in a dry place to harden.
They should take a few days to a week to dry completely. When dry,
remove from the molds and allow to dry for a few more days before using.
Yield: 20 Crayons
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The Best Home-Made Bubble Stuff
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6 c Water
2 c Crystal Octagon dishwashing liquid
3/4 c Light corn syrup
Mix all the ingredients together in a dishpan. Put in a jar and give
it to your kids. It should be used right away.
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Waterproof or Glass Glue
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2 packets (1/2 ounce) unflavoured gelatin
2 tbls. cold water
3 tbls. skim milk
several drops oil of cloves (optional)
1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water. Set aside to
soften.
2. Heat milk to boiling point and pour into softened gelatin. Stir
until gelatin is dissolved.
3. Add oil of cloves as preservative if glue is to be kept for more
than a day.
Makes about 1/3 cup
How to use it: While the glue is still warm, brush a thin layer on
the objects to be glued. This is the best glue to use for projects
in which glass must be adhered to glass. For gluing decorations on glass
jars, it is best to use the glue in its liquid state. For gluing marbles
together or gluing metal ornaments to metal cans, use the glue in its gelled
state. This glue is waterproof and can be used to mend china, to glue labels
on home-canned foods and jellies, or to glue wood to wood. Store
glue in a screw-capped jar. It will gel as it cools, but this will not
affect its adhesiveness. Set jar in a pan of hot water to soften glue for
reuse.
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Crafts for Kids with Food
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FINGER PAINTING For young children, prepare instant chocolate
pudding and let them do creative finger painting with no danger if some
finds its way to their mouths!
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MACARONI PICTURES Have various shapes of pasta to choose
from. Let children glue these onto colored paper for creative pictures.
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PLACE MATS Let children draw their own pictures on fairly
heavy paper. Use clear contact paper to cover the front and back of the
drawing. They now have their own personal placemat. These make fun presents
for Mom and Dad for special occasions.
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CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS 1 cup cornstarch 2 cups
baking soda 1 1/4 cups cold water Mix and cook over medium heat stirring
constantly about 4 minutes or til mixture thickens into a moist mashed
potato-like consistency. Cover with a cloth while it cools enough to knead
it. Roll out dough and cut into shapes using a straw to put a hole
in the top for a ribbon to hang on the Christmas tree. Dry 24 hours.
Paint with tempera paints.
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PAPIER MACHE Dry laundry starch cold water Mix the
starch and water in equal amounts. Stir completely. Let stand. This will
thicken. Tear newspaper or tissue paper into strips. Dip these strips into
mixture. Shape over a balloon or into a mask shape, figures, animals, etc.
Let dry 3 days or so, depending on thickness. Paint with acrylic paints.
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ARGO DO-IT YOURSELF CLAY THAT'S SAFE FOR KIDS 2 cups baking
soda 1 cup Argo Corn Starch 1 1/4 cups water Mix cornstarch
and baking soda, add water, mix. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Thicken to consistency of mashed potatoes. Form clay into desired shapes,
let dry for 36 hours, color with paint or felt-tip marker, and coat with
shellac or clear nail polish.
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