marshmallow and toothpick sculpture

You need toothpicks and mini marshmallows (or gum drops. jelly beans, etc.)

Using the toothpicks and marshmallows, your child can build virtually anything. The younger ones do better if you make some barbells with toothpick in the middle and marshmallows on either side that they can attach to one another. Older kids can make really nice structures. The key is to use triangles for strength. Squares will flop around and triangles are just more stable. This is adapted from a traditional Kindergarten craft called peas and sticks where children used soaked dried peas and small sticks to build stuff. I have tried the soaked peas without much luck but it would eliminate the problem of having all your art materials getting eaten. Buckminster Fuller, the creator of the Geodesic Dome (think Epcot Center) and Dymaxion car (think 3 wheeled car that got 100 mpg) said in an interview that he first understood the importance of using triangles for strength when completing the peas and sticks exercise in school. So maybe this will guide your child towards great future building projects. The marshmallows dry out in a day or so and make the structures stronger.