The Preschooler’s Busy Book (26 page)

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Authors: Trish Kuffner

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Makes about five dozen two-and-a-half-inch ornaments.

Modeling Clay

2 cups salt

²/
₃cups water

Saucepan

1 cup cornstarch

½ cup cold water

Stir salt and water in a saucepan over heat four to five minutes.
Remove from heat; add cornstarch and cold water.
Stir until smooth; return to heat and cook until thick.
Store in a plastic bag.

No-Bake Cookie Clay

These ornaments are not edible!

2 cups salt

²/
₃cup water

Medium saucepan

1 cup cornstarch

½ cup cold water

Rolling pin

Cookie cutters

Straw

Paint, glitter, and other decorative materials

Mix salt with
²/
₃cup water in a medium saucepan.
Stir and boil.
Add cornstarch and ½ cup cold water and stir.
If the mixture doesn’t get thick, set it back on the stove.
Sprinkle some extra cornstarch onto the table, roll out the dough with a rolling pin, and cut with cookie cutters.
Use a straw to make a hole at the top for hanging.
Dry and decorate with paint, glitter, and so on.

No-Bake Craft Clay

1 cup cornstarch

1¼ cups cold water

2 cups baking soda (1 pound)

Saucepan

Food coloring (optional)

Plate

Damp cloth

Tempera paints or acrylic paints (optional)

Shellac, clear acrylic, or clear nail polish

Combine cornstarch, cold water, and baking soda in a saucepan; stir over medium heat for about four minutes until the mixture thickens to a moist mashed-potato consistency.
For color, add a few drops of food coloring to the water before it is mixed with the starch and soda.
Remove from heat, turn out onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth until cool.
Knead as you would dough.
Shape as desired or store in an airtight container or plastic bag.
Objects may be left to dry then painted with tempera paints or acrylics.
Dip in shellac, spray with clear acrylic, or brush with clear nail polish to seal.

Bread Clay

6 slices white bread

6 tablespoons white glue

½ teaspoon detergent or 2 teaspoons glycerin

Food coloring

Paintbrush

Acrylic paints, acrylic spray, or clear nail polish

Remove the crusts from white bread and knead the bread with glue plus either detergent or glycerin until the mixture is no longer sticky.
Separate into portions and tint with food coloring.
Let your child shape the clay.
Brush the finished
product with equal parts glue and water for a smooth appearance.
Let dry overnight to harden.
Use acrylic paints, acrylic spray, or clear nail polish to seal and preserve.

GLUE and PASTE

The following glue and paste recipes use a variety of ingredients and methods.
Choose the one that best suits your project.
For variety, add food coloring to glue before using.
Store all products in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Glue

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Small saucepan

Small bowl

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¾ cup cold water

Mix water, corn syrup, and white vinegar in a small saucepan.
Bring to a full, rolling boil.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with cold water.
Add this mixture slowly to the hot mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture returns to a boil.
Boil for one minute, then remove from heat.
When slightly cooled, pour into another container and let stand overnight before using.

Homemade Paste

½ cup flour

Cold water

Saucepan

Flavoring and/or food coloring (optional)

Add some cold water to the flour until it is as thick as cream.
Simmer and stir in a saucepan for five minutes.
Add a few drops of flavoring and/or food coloring, if desired.
This recipe makes a wet, messy paste that takes a while to dry.

Papier-Mâché Paste

1 cup water

¼ cup flour

5 cups lightly boiling water

Large saucepan

Mix flour into one cup of water until the mixture is thin and runny.
Stir this mixture into the lightly boiling water.
Gently boil and stir for two to three minutes.
Cool before using.

No-Cook Paste

½ cup flour

Water

Salt

Bowl

Mix flour with water until gooey.
Add a pinch of salt; stir.

OTHER CRAFT RECIPES

Use the following recipes to make interesting materials for use in various arts and crafts projects.

Colorful Creative Salt

½ cup salt

5 to 6 drops food coloring

Wax paper or microwave-safe container and microwave

Add food coloring to salt and stir well.
Cook in a microwave for one to two minutes, or spread on wax paper and let air dry.
Store in an airtight container.
Use as you would glitter.

Pasta Dye

½ cup rubbing alcohol

Food coloring

Bowl

Variety of dry pasta

Newspapers

Wax paper

Spoon

Mix alcohol and food coloring in a bowl.
Add small amounts of various dry pasta to the liquid and gently mix.
The larger the pasta, the longer it will take to absorb the color.
Dry on newspapers covered with wax paper.

Egg Dye

¼ teaspoon food coloring

¾ cup hot water

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Bowl or cup

Eggs

Measure all liquids into a bowl or a cup and mix.
Use different food coloring in each container for desired shades.
Soak eggs in the dyes until they reach the desired shades.

Ornamental Frosting

This frosting works like an edible glue; use for gingerbread houses or other food projects that you want to eat!

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted (about 4 cups)

Bowl

Egg beater

Damp cloth

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar in a bowl until stiff peaks form.
Add sifted icing sugar and continue beating until mixture is thick and holds its shape.
Cover with a damp cloth when not in use.
This mixture can be made several hours or the day before using.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Appendix B
Crazy Can Activities

The following activities are suitable for a Crazy Can (see
Chapter 1
).
These activities are suggested because they require no special materials, need no time-consuming preparation or cleanup, and above all, demand a minimal amount of adult participation.
Some of these ideas require a little advance planning (i.e., have a map or clues prepared in advance for the Indoor Treasure Hunt).
These activities will provide you with an instant remedy when things start to get crazy, or when there’s just “nothing to do.” (The number following each activity refers to the page on which that activity is found.)

Cards
134

Carpet Raceway
43

Clean Coins
19

Clothespin Crayons
175

Count the Coins
24

Counting
127

Crayon Rubbings
178

Flour Drawing
58

Funny Face
221

Hand Drawings
180

Hide and Seek
45

Indoor Sandbox
25

Indoor Tent
29

Indoor Treasure Hunt
51

Kickball
99

Lid Art
31

Little Carpenter
33

Musical Glasses
21

Nail Board
27

Paint the House
91

Paper Punch
25

Pasta Play
61

Play with Boxes
53

Pretend Islands
49

Rainbow Drawing
175

Sandpaper Play
92

Scribble Drawing
180

Sharpen a Pencil
26

Shoe Trail
51

Sidewalk Drawing
88

Sticker Play
30

Super Suds
20

Wash the Dishes
98

Washing Windows
21

Appendix C
Gifts for Kids to Make and Give

Most kids love to give gifts almost as much as they love to receive them, and the excitement is usually intensified if the gift is something they have made themselves.
The following activities provide fun and easy ways for kids to personalize their gift-giving.
The number following each activity refers to the page on which that activity is found.

Christmas Bells
328

Christmas Card Holder
329

Christmas Dough Ornaments
311

Christmas Place Mats
313

Coat Rack
260

Crunch and Munch
80
(in a Coffee Can Canister
243
)

Easter Eggs
287
–
294

Edible Necklace
109

Egg Carton Flowers
255

Fantastic Fudge Brownies
77

Heart Necklace
274

Homemade Cookies
65
–
73