laundry starch putty

1 part liquid laundry starch (they still sell this at grocery stores in the laundry section.)
2 parts elmer's glue
optional: food coloring, glitter


This is a recipe that you see in any kid's craft book. The key is to make alot. Since it resembles silly putty the recipes often call for tiny amounts so you can fit your putty in a plastic egg. This isn't really that fun for kids to play with. As with playdough, it is better to have a large amount. I get a big jug of glue from the hardware store and use a cup of starch and two cups of glue. Then you mix it together well and let it sit in a ziplock bag or an airtight container and by the next day it should be perfect. If you keep it covered well it will last forever!

sand clay

1 cup sifted beach sand (or sand from sandbox)
1/2 tsp alum (look at a pharmacy)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup water

Your kids can help gather the sand and measure and stir ahead of time, then you should take over. Heat on a medium burner and stir it a lot until it gets thick. (Use an old pan for this.) Let it cool enough to use. You can store it in a sealed container pretty well for an hour or so if yu want to prepare it in advance. Spoon some out on a paper plate or a regular plate covered with foil so it doesn't stick. Your children can mold it into a paper weight or castle or whatever you want. It doesn't actually hold a shape as well as real wet sand so you can't get too detailed with your structure. You can press shells, rocks, other beachy stuff in (put glue under them. Just apply it right on top of the wet sand clay to make sure the stuff sticks well.) or shape it more like a mounded castle and make little toothpick flags to put on top. I saw an idea on thriftyfun.com to cover a picture frame with the sand clay and then press shells and stuff in to make a nice beachy frame. I have also thought about filling lots of ice cube trays with the clay and when it dried you would have these nice uniform sand building blocks to glue together to make a larger structure. It doesn't dry completely for a few days so try to leave your creation out of the way until your children can handle it with no risks. Once your sand clay is dry it is very strong.

pie pan stepping stones

coming soon!

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.