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Craft Recipes
Here is a list of arts and crafts recipes for you to do with your children. They are great "therapy"!!! Getting kids to use their hands, and arms while playing with playgough, popping bubbles or finger painting with pudding are all great ways to make exercising fun! |
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| Soap Slime
Need:
Old Bits of Soap
Bucket of Water
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Put the pieces of soap into the bucket of water and let it stand overnight. By the morning the soap has dissolved and leaves a thick slime. Looks good if green paint or food coloring is added to it.
Contributed by: Joanna Ford
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| Colored Sand
Need:
1 cup of sand
2 teaspoons of dry
tempera paint
1 teaspoon water
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Add the dry tempera paint to the sand;
then mix well with a fork. Stir in the water. Allow the sand to dry for
several hours before using.
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| Fruity Putty
Need:
0.3 -ounce package
of sugar free fruit flavored gelatin
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tablespoons cream
of tartar
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons cooking
oil
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Mix the dry ingredients in a pan. Add the
boiling water and cooking oil. Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture
forms a ball. Place the ball on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight
container. Cut the fruit picture from the gelatin box and paste to the
lid. Use different flavors to make all different colors and smells.
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| Glitter Sparkle
Bottles |
Remove the label from a clean, clear 16oz.
plastic soda bottle. Pour at least 1/2 cup of light corn syrup into the
bottle. Then add a few drops of food coloring and some glitter and/or confetti.
Hot glue the lid onto the bottle. Have the children swirl and shake the
bottle and watch it's movement.
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| Flour and Salt
Clay
Need:
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4 cups flour / 1 cup salt / Food coloring
/ Water to moisten Mix the ingredients to desired dampness. Store in refridgerator
to avoid spoiling. This clay dries hard and can be painted or decorated
with markers or pens. To make reusable dough, add two tablespoons of cooking
oil.
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| Sawdust Modeling
"Clay"
Need:
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2 cups sawdust / liquid starch / 1 cup
flour or wheat paste / 1 tablespoon glue (if flour is used) Mix ingredients
to workable consistency. Can be dried and painted.
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| Finger Paint
Mixture #1
Need:
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1 cup liquid starch / 1/2 cup soap chips
/ 6 cups warm water / Dry tempera or food coloring Dissolve soap chips
with enough water and stir until all lumps have dissapeared. Add to starch
and remaining water. Keep covered in plastic jar. Color may be added as
children paint, or in the mix. A few drops of oil of clove prevents bad
odors. Be sure to keep mixtures in covered jars in a cool location.
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| Playdough #1
Need:
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1 c flour 1/2 c salt 1 teaspoon cream of
tartar 1 c water 1 tablespoon oil food coloring Put all ingredients in
a saucepan and cook over medium heat, until dough pulls away from the sides
of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat and cool. Then knead until
smooth. Store in ziplock bags or an air tight container. This makes a soft
dough, and is great for playing with.
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| Playdough #2
Need:
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3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups salt 3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp cream of tartar 3 cups water Food Coloring (optional) Mix and cook
over very low heat until not sticky to touch. Then cool and store in air
tight container.
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| Goop
Need:
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2 cups salt 1 cup water 1 cup corn starch
Food Coloring (optional) Cook salt and 1/2 cup water for 4-5 minutes. Remove
from heat. Add corn starch and 1/2 cup water. Return to heat. Stir until
mixture thickens. Let cook, then Store in plastic bag.
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| Salt Dough #1
Need:
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1 c. salt 1/2 c. cornstarch 3/4 c. cold
water Stir together over low heat until to thick to stir, about 2 or 3
minutes. Put on waxed paper until cool, then knead until smooth. Can be
rolled or shaped. Air dry.
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| Salt Dough #2
Need:
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2 1/2 c. boiling water 2 c. salt 4 c. flour
Add salt to water, then stir into flour. Knead on a flour-covered surface.
Shape objects, then bake at 250 for 2 to 3 hours, checking frequently after
2 hrs. Paint when cooled.
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| Salt Dough #3
Need:
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2 c. corstarch 4 c. baking soda 2 1/2 c.
cold water Mix corn starch and soda in a pan, add cold water. Cook over
med. heat, stiring constantly, until thick, about 5 min. Remove pan from
heat, cover with a wet paper towel. When cool, knead on a waxed-paper covered
surface. Shape and air dry, then paint. This works extremely well for rolled-out
dough to cut with cookie cutters.
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| Kool-Aid Finger
Paint
Need:
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2 cups flour 2 packs unsweented kool-aid
1/2 cup salt 3 cups boiling water 3T. oil Mix wet into dry. The kids love
the color change. Then finger paint away.
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| Jello Finger
Paint
Need:
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any kind of flavored jello enough boiling
water to make it a goo consistency for fingerpaint. Use you normal fingerpainting
material or glossy paper. Kids love the smell and the feel of it.
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| Oatmeal Dough
Need:
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1 C. Flour 2. C. Oatmeal 1 C. Water Preparation:
Gradually add water to flour and oatmeal in bowl. Kneed until mixed (this
dough is sticky, but unique in texture. Model as with clay. VARIATIONS:
Add cornmeal in small quantity for texture, Add coffee grounds in small
quantity for texture.
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| Frosting Dough
Need:
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1 Can Frosting Mix 1 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
1 C. Peanut Butter Spoon & Bowl Mix all ingredients in bowl with spoon.
knead into workable dough. Model as with any dough.
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| Puffy Paint
Need:
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Flour Salt Water Tempera Paint Mix equal
amounts of flour, salt and water. Add liquid tempera paint for color. Pour
mixture into squeeze bottles and paint. Mixture will harden in a puffy
shape.
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| Soap Paint #1
Need:
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1 C. Laundry Soap Flakes 1/2 C. Cold Water
Food Coloring Mix together. Beat with an egg beater until fluffy. Finger
paint.
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| Soap Paint #2
Need:
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1 C. Laundry Soap Flakes 1/4 C. Water 1/3
C. Liquid Starch Mix together. Beat with a whisk for 3 minutes . Finger
Paint
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| Salt Paint
Need:
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1/8 C. liquid Starch 1/8 C. Water 1 Tbl
Tempera Paint Mix together and apply to paper with a brush. Keep stirring
mixture. Paint will crystallize as it dries.
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| Sand Paint
Need:
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Tempera Paint (powder) Sand Mix dry tempera
paint with sand. Let kids spread glue on picture and sprinkle on sand.
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| Pudding Paint
Need:
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Instant Vanilla Pudding Food Coloring Mix
pudding according to directions. Add food coloring for desired color. Finger
paint on paper plates. Edible
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| Snow Paint
Need:
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Food Coloring Water Place water and food
coloring in empty spray bottle. Let children spray colors on the snow to
make designs
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| Nutty Butter
Playdough
Need:
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| Sidewalk Chalk
Need:
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2 C. Water 2 C. Plaster of Paris 2 Tbl
Tempera Paint (Wet or Dry) Toilet Paper Tubes with duct tape over one end
Combine and stir together. Let stand a few minutes. Place tubes on cookie
sheet lined with foil or wax paper. Pour mixture into holders, let stand
until semi-firm. Remove holders and let dry completely - ready to use in
about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. (reminder, never pour plaster down sink)
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| Beluga Bubbles
Need:
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1 C. Warm Water 1/4 C. Blue Dishwashing
Liquid 1 Tsp. Salt Combine all ingredients. Mix well until salt dissolves.
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| Soap Crayons
Need:
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1 3/4 c Ivory Snow; (powder) 50 drops food
coloring 1/4 c water Mix water & soap flakes together. Add food coloring
& put mixture into an ice cube tray. Allow to harden. Break or cut
into pieces. Fun to write with on the tub when bathing & face &
hands!!!
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| Rainbow Stew
Need:
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1/3 c. sugar 1 c. cornstarch 4 c. cold
water Cook until thick. put in bowls, add food coloring. Put in ziplock
baggies. Let the kids play with it while it is in the bags for a neat sensory
experience or use it to mix colors.
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| Extra Soft Pulp
Need:
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Paper Napkins, Cleansing Tissues or Toilet
Tissue Thin Paste or white glue 1. Crumple napkins or tissue and cover
with paste. 2. Model to desired shape. Use to add details such as noses,
ears, eyebrows, and so forth to larger pieces. NOTE: This mixture does
NOT keep and must be used immediately.
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| Dryer Lint Material
Need:
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3 c Lint (from laundry dryers) 2 c Cold
or warm water 2/3 c Non-self-rising wheat flour 3 drops oil of wintergreen
Old newspaper Put lint and water in a large saucepan. Stir to dampen all
parts of the lint. Add flour and stir thoroughly to prevent lumps. Add
oil of wintergreen. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture
holds together and forms peaks. Pour out onto several thicknesses of newspaper
to cool. Use as you would papier-mâché pulp or shaped over
armatures (boxes, bottles, balloons, and so forth) or press into a mold.
This material will dry in 3 to 5 days to a very hard, durable surface.
When wet it has a feltlike consistency. It dries to smooth or rough, depending
on how it is used. When pressed into a mold, a hard, smooth finish is obtained.
Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for several days.
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| Powdered Milk
Paint
Need:
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1/2 c Powdered nonfat milk 1/2 c Water
Powdered Paint Pigments 1. Mix milk and water. Stir until milk is dissolved.
2. Combine only as much solution with powdered pigments as you intend to
use in one sitting. Makes about 3/4 cup. For a large group, combine any
amount of powdered milk with an equal amount of water. This paint dries
quickly to a glossy, opaque finish. It does not dust, chip, or come off
on your hands the way poster paint does. Mix a small amount of the solution
with powdered pigment in a palette pan. Work smooth with a brush. Use water
to thin paint and to clean your brushes. Store this medium in a tightly
capped jar in the refrigerator.
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| Coffee Dough
Need:
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4 c Unsifted all-purpose four 1 c Salt
1/4 c Instant coffee 1 1/2 c Warm water 1. Dissolve the coffee in the warm
water. 2. In another bowl, mix the flour and the salt. 3. Make a hole in
this and add 1 cup of the coffee water into it. 4. Mix with a fork or hands
until smooth. 5. Add more coffee water if needed: dough should be smooth
and satiny, not sticky or crumbly. Store in a plastic bag to prevent drying
of the dough. Bake finished designs in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour or
more (until hard). Add 2 coats of shellac to preserve.
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| Flower Preservative
#1
Need:
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1 pt Powdered Borax 2 pt Cornmeal Covered
cardboard box (shoe or stationery box) Fresh flowers 1. Thoroughly mix
borax and cornmeal. 2. Cover the bottom of the box with 3/4 of an inch
of this mixture. 3. Cut flower stems about 1 inch long. Lay the flowers
face down in this mixture. Spread the petals and leaves so that they lie
as flat as possible. Do not place flowers too close together. 4. Cover
the flowers with 3/4 of an inch of the mixture. 5. Place the lid on the
box and keep at room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks. This is an excellent
way to preserve corsages or flowers from someone special. Try daisies,
pansies, apple blossoms, asters, violets, and other flowers with this method.
They will stay summer fresh indefinitely.
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| Flower Preservative
#2
Need:
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Fresh Flowers (roses, (pansies, violets,
sweet (peas, chrysanthemums, zinnias, marigolds,daisies) Florist's wire
Airtight container such as -a coffee can Plastic bag Borax Wire or string
Soft brush 1. Pick flowers at the peak of their bloom. 2. Remove the stems.
Make new stems with florist's wire. Run wire through the base of the flower
and twist the two ends together. 3. Line the coffee can with the plastic
bag. 4. Pour enough borax into the plastic bag to cover the bottom to a
depth of 1 inch. 5. Place flower face down in the borax. Pour about 1 inch
of borax over the top of the flower. Add more flowers and borax until the
container is full. 6. Gather the top of the bag, squeezing out all the
air inside it. Fasten shut with wire or string. 7. Place lid on can and
set aside in a dry place for at least 4 weeks. 8. Remove flowers from borax
and carefully brush away all borax with a soft brush. USES: Flowers preserved
in this way make colorful "permanent" floral arrangements. Flowers
picked at the peak of their bloom remain fresh looking indefinitely. TO
USE: Using the wire stems, make an attractive flower arrangement as you
would a fresh-flower bouquet.
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| Sawdust Modeling
Clay
Need:
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1 c Fine sawdust Food coloring Old newspaper
Shellac or Varnish 1 c Thin Paste or Paper Paste 1. If desired, dye sawdust
with food coloring. Drain and spread on newspaper to dry before using.
2. Mix sawdust and paste to a thick doughlike consistency. Knead until
thoroughly mixed. The amounts of paste may vary according to the kind of
sawdust used. If the sawdust is coarse, more paste may be needed to obtain
the proper consistency. QUANTITY: Makes about 1 cup. USES: Model as with
clay. Articles molded with this compound have a lovely woodgrain appearance.
TO USE: Pieces of dough may be added to the basic piece by moistening and
sticking them down. Within two to three days, the finished article will
harden. To speed up drying bake in a 200-degree-F. oven for 1 to 2 hours,
depending on the size of the article. To give the article a permanent finish,
spray with shellac or varnish. They can also be sanded to give a smoother
finish.
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| Goop/Slime
Need:
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1 Part Liquid starch 2 Part Elmer's Glue
Food Coloring (opt.) Mix and enjoy. It's supposed to be like slime.
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| Flubber
Need:
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Solution A: 1 1/2 C. Warm Water 2 c. Elmers
Glue Food Coloring Solution B: 4 tsp. Borax 1 1/3 C. Warm water Mix solution
A in one bowl, mix solution B in another bowl. Dissolve both well. Then
just pour solution A into solution B, DO NOT MIX OR STIR! Just lift out
flubber. I made this with my daughters class, and the teacher & children
loved it! It's neater than "Gak" or "slime". And it
also a safe chemical reaction for the kids to see. I used a glass bowl
for solution B so the kids could see the flubber form in the bowl. It just
becomes a big "cloud" of rubbery stuff. Store in baggies. If
you half the recipe, you only need to half the solution A and it will work
the same.
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| Best Bubble
Solution
Need:
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1 c Water 2 tb Light Karo syrup OR 2 Tablespoons
Glycerin 4 tb Dishwashing liquid Mix together and have fun!
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| Thin Paste
Need:
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1/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup non-self-rising
flour; 1/2 teaspoon powdered alum 1-3/4 cups water; 1/4 teaspoon oil of
cinnamon 1. In a medium-sized pan, mix together sugar, flour and alum.
2. Gradually add 1 cup water, stirring vigorously to break up lumps. 3.
Boil until clear and smooth stirring constantly. 4. Add remaining water
and oil of cinnamon. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Makes one pint. How to
use it: Spread paste with a brush or tongue depressor. 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.
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| Paper Paste
Need:
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1/3 cup non-self-rising wheat flour; 2
TBSP sugar; 1 cup water; 1/4 tsp oil of cinnamon 1. Mix flour and sugar
in a saucepan. Gradually add water, stirring vigorously to break up lumps.
2. Cook over low heat until clear, stirring constantly. 3. Remove from
stove and add oil of cinnamon. Stir until well blended. Makes about 1 cup.
Spread paste with a brush or tongue depressor. Soft, smooth, thick and
white, Paper Paste has a good spreading consistency and is especially appropriate
for use with small children or for any paste-up work. This paste can be
stored in a covered jar for several weeks without refrigeration.
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| Home-Made Bath
Salts
Need:
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2 1/2 lb Epsom Salts Food Coloring Perfume
Combine Epsom salts with food coloring and perfume in a large bowl. Mix
well so color is even. Put into smaller jars and let stand 4-6 weeks before
using. This causes the odor to blend with the salts. This bath salt is
very soothing and makes for a very relaxed bath.
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| Silly Putty
#1
Need:
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1/2 Cup Elmer's glue 1/2 Cup Starch --
liquid Food coloring Do NOT substitute any other glue for Elmer's glue!
Slowly add starch to glue and knead with fingers. The more you work with
it the better it jells. Add food coloring if you want.
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| Eggshell Chalk
Need:
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4-5 eggshells 1 teaspoon flour 1 teaspoon
very hot tap water food coloring (optional) Wash & dry eggshells. Put
into bowl and grind into a powder. A mortar and pestle works fine for this.
Discard any large pieces. Place flour and hot water in another bowl and
add 1 tablespoon eggshell powder & mix until a paste forms. Add food
coloring if desired. Shape & press mixture firmly into the shape of
a chalk stick, and roll up tightly in a strip of paper towel. Allow to
dry approximately 3 days until hard. Remove paper towel & you've got
chalk! Eggshell chalk is for sidewalks only.
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| Clown Paint
Need:
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1/8 C. Baby Lotion 1/4 Tsp Powdered Tempera
paint 1 Squirt liquid Dishwashing Soap Easily removed by soap and water
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Silly Putty
#2
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Mix well 2 parts White Glue (Elmer's) 1
part Sta-Flo Liquid Starch If you use Elmer's School Glue instead of regular
white it doesn't bounce or pick up pictures.
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| Gunk
Need:
1 Part Cornstarch 1 Part Water
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| Slime
Need:
1 box Ivory Soapflakes 1 Gallon Water,
food color
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| Peanut Butter
Playdough
Need
(Recipe 1):
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup liquid honey
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup rolled oats.
Need
(Recipe 2):
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white corn
syrup
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups powdered milk
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Recipe 1: Mix together and use.
Recipe 2: In a large bowl, mix peanut butter,
corn syrup, and powdered sugar together. Add powdered milk and knead until
smooth. (Add more powdered milk if you need to.)
The children can mold dough into any shape
they wish. Additions: provide children with various decorating materials,
(raisins, chocolate chips, raspberry chips, butterscotch chips, shredded
coconut, dried fruit, pretzels, smarties etc.) This is FOOD and children
must wash their hands before touching the dough and only touch the dough
on their plates. (Recipe #1 is a little bit more grainy than #2 because
of the oats but I like it better because I don't care for the taste of
powdered milk.)
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