We're bringing these to the school for the kids to decorate for Christmas. If you want to make colored clay just add food coloring to the water before you mix it with the cornstarch and baking soda. The clay can be sealed in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Just bring it to room temperature before you use it. This recipe can also be doubled to make a larger batch of decorations.
Clay Christmas Decorations
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup water
Making Clay
In a medium sized pot combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water. With an adults help the kids can stir this mixture over medium-low heat. After a couple of minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken. When it looks like smooth, mashed potatoes, remove the pot from the heat. Spoon the ball of dough into a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth until it's cool. When it's cool, knead it on a smooth surface, adding a little more cornstarch if it feels sticky.
Rolling, cutting, and baking
Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out clay to 1/4 inch thick on a surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Transfer shapes to the prepared baking sheet. Use a straw to poke a hole in the center top of each decoration, then get the kids to blow out the small piece of clay. They love this task! Place them in the oven at 175 degrees for about an hour, turning them over halfway through cooking.
Paint or decorate them and thread a piece of ribbon, twine or yarn through the holes.
Is this good to make hand prints out of?
ReplyDeleteyes, I just did it with my 6 year old and 5 month old son's and it worked great! I used a different recipe and they cracked so bad I had to throw them out but these tured out perfect :)
ReplyDeleteCan you paint them? And if so, what type of paint would you recommend? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes, absolutely! My kids paint them with watercolors and they turned out great. I am not sure about the hand prints, we haven't tried using the clay for that. Try it out, it's an inexpensive risk.
ReplyDeleteDo you need to spray these with a clear coat to protect them like dough ornaments?
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried that but am considering trying an acrylic gel medium recommended by a friend this weekend. The decorations once painted dry matte.
ReplyDeleteI just tried a batch. When I baked them, they curled up around the edges. Any suggestions to keep them flat?
ReplyDeleteHmm....I have made these many times over the years and they haven't curled up, do you think you're oven may be hotter than you think it is?
ReplyDeleteDid you flip them over half way through baking them?
Next time try pulling them out a little earlier and letting them dry the rest of the way at room temperature for a day.
Also was your dough really smooth and not too dry? Maybe too much cornstarch on the counter while rolling
Maybe they curled because they were rolled too thin??
ReplyDeleteYes, that was probably why, I can see them curling or cracking if rolled too thin. 1/4 inch has worked best for me.
ReplyDelete