Make your own craft supplies – it’s easy

A,B,C & tumble down D,
The cats in the cupboard and can’t see me!

Now that the big kids are heading back to school, have some fun in the kitchen with the littles! You don’t have to buy paint or play doh, you can easily make it and create another fun activity while you’re at it.

My favourite tried and true play doh allows for a small group or even the smallest child to help and involves no cooking.

You need:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tblsp. cooking oil
1/3 cup warm water

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Combine the oil and water and stir into the dry mix. Colour with a few drops of food colour or nontoxic paint. When all is moist – not too moist – divide into equal portions and have the children knead the doh. If it’s too sticky offer a bit more flour to roll the doh in.

Little hands have fun on their own but you can provide cookie cutters and small rolling pins too. Gather up the doh when finished and store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Or, allow the creations to dry and save the sculptures.

A little bit messier but really enjoyable is finger paint. This you will need to cook.

You need:

3 tblsp. sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups cold water
colouring
dish soap

Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, add water and cook over medium heat stirring until mixture thickens, about five minutes.

Remove from stove, cool and pour into small containers – yogurt containers work well. Add a few drops of food colour into each container. You can substitute food colouring with powdered Koolaid or jello powder. Add a couple drops of dish soap for easy cleanup. Or, pour the mixture into small zip lock baggies with the colour, seal and let the kids mix the colour through the baggie.

This is a good opportunity to put two colours into each bag – red and blue, for example – and let them mix the colours together and see what happens.

Now for the fun! Buy finger paint paper, it’s shiny on one side. Spoon or squeeze out the finger paint onto the paper and let them go to it. I have also heard freezer paper works well. Have a bucket of soapy water nearby for clean up.

Instant pudding makes good finger paint as does not quite set jello!

Handprints can be dried, cut out and turned into fish, butterflies and even turkeys. Or, don’t worry about the end product, just enjoy the process.

After school, the older ones are going to want to share the fun. Make your own glitter paint using squeeze bottles.

You need:

Flour
Salt
Paint

Mix equal parts of flour and salt. Add paint to make a paste and pour mixture into squeeze bottles. Squeeze the paint out onto heavy paper or cardboard to make a picture. The salt will glitter when the painting is dry.

Soap painting gives a nice 3D effect and cleans up easily.

You need:

1 cup soap flakes
1/2 cup cold water

Put cold water in a mixing bowl and slowly add soap flakes while beating with an electric mixer until it’s stiff and forms peaks. Add colour or use white and paint onto cardboard.

Finally make your own paper paste by mixing one part flour with one part water, colour not necessary. This paste is great for papier mache or just gluing paper to paper, and it’s edible. (yuck)

So you don’t even have to leave the kitchen to have a great craft experience. It’s a kitchen party!

1,2,3,4, Mary’s at the cottage door.
5,6,7,8, Eating cherries off her plate.

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