Drizzle Goo
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup water
food coloring
Mix all together and put in squeeze bottle. Drizzle on paper, or on a hot day - your friends!
FUNNY FACE MAKE-UP
2 teaspoons white shortening
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon white flour
4 drops glycerin (found at your pharmacy)
few drops of food coloring
In a small bowl, mix shortening, cornstarch and white flour. Add four drops of glycerin. Stir to a creamy consistency. Add any food coloring that you wish. For brown makeup, add 2 1/2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa instead of food coloring.
Face Paint Recipe
Mix tablespoon solid vegetable shortening with two tablespoons cornstarch. Tint small portions of the cream with food colorings, as desired. After applying the cream, pat with translucent powder.
Paint - Clown 1/8 C. Baby Lotion 1/4 Tsp Powdered Tempera paint 1 Squirt liquid Dishwashing Soap Easily removed by soap and water
Kool Aid Stickers
1 tablespoon fruit-flavored gelatin mix (with sugar)
2 tablespoons hot water
Glossy pictures cut from magazines, mailings, old posters...
Place the gelatin in a small bowl, add hot water, and stir until dissolved. While the stamp glue is still warm, spread onto the back of paper with fingers or a brush. The stamps may take several hours to dry.
If they curl, flatten them by placing the dry stamps between sheets of wax paper under a heavy book. When ready to use, wet the back of the stamp and stick it to paper.
BABY WIPES
1/2 roll of paper towels (good quality - cut in half so short)
2c. warm water
2tbsp. baby wash
1 tbsp. baby oil
Rubbermade container - Round and as tall as half a roll. Place paper towel 1/2 roll in container. Mix the rest of the ingrediants and pour over top. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Pour off excess. Pull out cardboard tube to start the roll from the inside. Stays fresh for about two weeks.
Bubble recipe
2 cups joy or dawn (dishwashing soap)
6 cups warm water
3/4 cup white Karo corn syrup
For best results : combine and shake. Then let settle for 4 hours (we never wait that long) This is great bubble soap for those big wands you wave around.
Bubble Stuff
1 part dish-washing detergent
1 part sugar, gelatin powder, or glycerin
8 to 10 parts warm water
Mix all gently. (Making suds will weaken mixture) The sugar or gelatin is added to make bubbles sturdier. They pop when they start to evaporate so adding these will make bubbles last longer. Happy bubble blowing!!
Beluga Bubbles
1 C. Warm Water
1/4 C. Blue Dishwashing Liquid
1 Tsp. Salt
Combine all ingredients. Mix well until salt dissolves.
More Bubbles
1/2 C. Water
1/2 C. Liquid Detergent
1 Tbl. Cooking Oil
Mix together and use
Best Bubble Solution
1 c Water
2 tb Light Karo syrup OR 2 Tablespoons Glycerin
4 tb Dishwashing liquid
Mix together and have fun!
BASIC BUBBLES
1/4 cup Liquid Dishwashing Detergent (grease-cutters are best.)
3/4 cup Water
1-1/2 tbsp Light Corn Syrup
Mix all ingredients and let bubbles settle.
BASIC BUBBLES
1 cup Dishwashing Detergent (Joy, Dawn or Ajax are best)
1 gallon Water
1 tbsp Glycerine (optional-makes stronger bubbles)
Mix all ingredients and let bubbles settle.
COLORED PASTA OR RICE
2lb Noodles (wheels, long tubes) any thing that you can string.
3 bottles Alcohol
Food Coloring
Place noodles in a large container so that there is room for the alcohol. Add the alcohol and food coloring. Make sure all noodles are covered and let stand as long as you wish the longer the noodles are in the solution the brighter the colors are. You can use half a bag for one color and etc. Place noodles on paper towels to dry, it takes a few hours, but when done let children string or sort the noodles
COLORED PASTA OR RICE
One pint pasta or rice
Two teaspoons food coloring
Three teaspoons rubbing alcohol
Mix food coloring and rubbing alcohol together in a container. Add the pasta and cover with lid. Slowly shake the container, making sure you cover all the pasta with color. Spread the pasta on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Allow to dry for several hours.
EGGSHELL CHALK
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.
SIDEWALK CHALK
3/4 cup Warm Water
Toilet Tissue Tubes
1-1/2 cups Plaster of Paris
2-3 tbsp Powdered Tempera Paints
Container for Mixing
Cover one end of tissue tube with duct tape. Place a loosely rolled piece of wax paper into the tube to create a liner to keep the plaster from sticking to the tube.
Pour water into mixing container then sprinkle plaster; a little at a time, into the water until plaster no longer dissolves (approx.1-1/2 cups).
Stir thoroughly. Mix in 2-3 tbsp. tempera paint. Place tubes sealed end down on a flat surface. Pour plaster mix in. Tap side of tube to release air bubbles. Let dry 1-2 days, pull off mold and have fun drawing! Be sure to rinse container and spoon outside or in a container of water to avoid clogging indoor sink drains.
EGG DYE
1/4 tsp food coloring, 3/4 cup hot water, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, a few drops of veg. oil
Combine all in mugs....then dip hardboiled eggs in them. The oil in the water makes the colors swirl for a beautiful effect.
Eggshell Glitter
Materials:
egg shells, food coloring, vinegar 1) Dye clean egg shells with food coloring and vinegar
2) DRY thoroughly
3) Crush
4) Apply like glitter.
FLUBBER
Mix 2 parts Elmers Glue with 1 part liquid starch. Mix well in a cup using a craft stick first. It will be stringy. Then place the mixture in your hands and play with it. Keep adding liquid starch if it continues to stick to your hands. The mixture will eventually be able to be handled without sticking to your hands. Add food coloring or have children color with markers
FLUBBER
Solution A:
1 1/2 C. Warm Water
2 c. Elmers Glue
Food Coloring (optional)
Solution B:
4 tsp. Borax
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 children to see. Use a glass bowl for solution B so the children can see the flubber form in the bowl. It just becomes a big "cloud" of rubbery stuff. Store in baggies.
FLOWER PRESERVATION W/CORNMEAL
1 pt Powdered Borax
2 pt Cornmeal
Covered cardboard box (shoe or stationery box)
Fresh flower
Thoroughly mix borax and cornmeal. Cover the bottom of the box with 3/4 of an inch of this mixture. 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. Cover the flowers with 3/4 of an inch of the mixture. 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.
Fragrant Soap Balls
Have children make homemade soap balls to give as a holiday gift or just as a middle of the year surprise to someone special in their lives. Use water to moisten Ivory Snow Flakes to the consistency of a very stiff dough. Divide the dough into several bowls. Add a different perfume and food coloring to each bowl for variety. Have children shape large spoonfuls of the soap into balls. Have them make about three balls each. Place the balls on trays (labeled with their modeler's name!) to harden for several days. Have each child wrap their three soap balls in colored cellophane paper and tie the package with a pretty ribbon.
LICK AND STICK
2 Tablespoons cold water
1 package unflavored gelatin
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
flavored extract
Pour cold water into a small bowl and sprinkle unflavored gelatin over it. With a fork, whisk in 3 T. boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add corn syrup and a few drops of a flavored extract. Cut out any picture or paper and with a paint brush apply a thin layer of the solution onto the back of the picture. Let dry. When ready, lick and stick! **Note** This recipe will gel, to return the mixture to a liquid for reuse, spoon into a jar and place jar in a bowl of hot water.
Gelatin Plastic
Ingredients:
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
9 tablespoons or 75 ml. Water
3-5 drops of food coloring
Materials:
Flat plastic lid from 24-ounce coffee can, or a lid similar in size with a rim
Cookie cutters
Plastic drinking straws for punching holes
Ice cream buckets and kitchen wipes
Directions:
In a small cooking pan mix the water and food coloring over low heat. Add 3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin, stir continuously and cook for 30 seconds until thickened. Pour the mixture into a plastic lid, push the air bubbles to the edge with a spoon and let it set on the counter for 45 minutes. Remove the flexible gelatin disk from the lid. The gelatin will be pliable. Here's when you pull out the cookie cutters to cut shapes. Be sure to keep any odd shaped scraps, too. Or, use a scissors to cut a spiral. Poke a straw in shapes and spiral to punch holes and, if you like, thread the "punched out circles" onto a string as beads. Dry shapes and scraps on a cooling rack. Hang spirals from a clothesline using clothespins. They'll be hard as plastic in 2-3 days.
To Prevent Curling:
As they dry, the pieces tend to curl up and bend which is part of the fun. But if you want to keep some pieces nearly flat for a special use like jewelry, here's what to do: take a plastic ice cream bucket, put a kitchen wipe or loosely woven cloth over the top and place your cutouts and scraps on the cloth. Cut the center out of a lid that fits the bucket, put another wipe over the top of the gelatin shapes, then press the lid tightly over the top to hold the two sheets firmly in place. Allow the shapes to dry completely between the sheets. An embroidery hoop will function in the same way.
GLOOK
1 cup Cornstarch
1/2 cup Water
Food Coloring
Mix all ingredients. Great for squeezing through your hands. You can change the consistency by adding more water, then more cornstarch.
GLUE
3/4 cup water
2 Tbs corn syrup
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water
Mix water, syrup and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a separate bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture SLOWLY to the first mixture. Stir constantly. Remove from heat. Let stand overnight before using.
GLUE GOO
STEP 1
Stir together:
2 cups white glue
1 3/4 cups water
STEP 2
Separately, dissolve:
1 teaspoon Borax in 1/2 cup warm water, then add to the glue mixture. Repeat twice. In order to get the mixture smooth, you will have to mix these three separately at the same time.
Glue Recipe
Materials:
3/4 cup water
2 Tbs corn syrup
1 tsp. white vinegar
½ cup cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water
Mix water, syrup and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a separate bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture SLOWLY to the first mixture. Stir constantly. Remove from heat. Let stand overnight before using.
GOOEY STUFF
(Be very careful and read all warning labels when handling Borax or Borax-based solutions. We recommend caution when making "Stretchy" and "Slarch". Also make sure small children don't put these or any other mixtures into their mouths.)
GOOP
2 c salt
1 c water
1 c corn starch
Cook salt and 1/2 c water for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add corn starch and 1/2 c water. Return to heat. Stir until mixture thickens. Store in plastic bag. You can add food coloring if you want.
GOOP
Fun because it seems both wet and dry at the same time!
1 box (16 oz.) cornstarch
1 cup water
Food coloring (optional)
Let children add water to the cornstarch in small additions, and mix the ingredients by hands. Add a few drops of food coloring into the mixture, if desired.
Hint: Cookie trays or broiler pans that have ridged edges are a great play surface for goop and clays.
Goop
2 cups salt, 2/3 cup water
Mix salt and water together in a saucepan. Heat for 3 or 4 minutes, until salt dissolves. Remove from heat.
1 cup cornstarch, ½ cup water
Mix cornstarch and water. Add to saucepan, stirring very quickly to mix. Stir 2 to 3 minutes until mixture thickens. Add food coloring if you wish. Store indefinitely in foil or plastic.
Goop 2
Stir ½ cup of white glue with 1/4 cup liquid starch. Knead it for a couple of minutes. This stores up to a week in a self-sealing plastic bag.
Goop Dough
Blend Together: 2 cups while liquid glue and 2 ½ cups of water Dissolve 1 tbsp. of Borax powder in 1/3 cup of water and add to the above. Blend with hands. Dissolve another tbsp. of Borax in 1/3 cup of water and add again. (gets thicker) Blend with hands. You can probably vary the consistency of dough by using more or less Borax. You must experiment. Consistency of the play dough is kind of oozey-slime. It's not suitable for rolling and cutting. Nor is it edible. Store in an airtight container but refrigeration is not necessary. It bubbles a lot like fermenting yeast.
Goop, or Oobleck (play slime)
corn starch
water
food coloring
Put some cornstarch into a bowl. Add just enough water to make it pasty. Add food coloring. This makes a messy slime, that can go form liquid to solid.....just play with it for a while! Put this outside on cookie sheets for a group of kids to play with.
"GUM" for stamps and paper labels
1 (1/4 3 ounce packet) of unflavored gelatin
1 T cold water
3 T boiling water
1/2 tsp white peppermint extract
2 drops boric acid solution
Sprinkle the gelatin into the cold water to soften. Pour into the boiling water, stirring until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
To use glue, brush thinly onto the back of a stamp or some paper and let dry. When applying to paper, just moisten it a bit. To keep, store in a small jar or bottle with a lid. Warm in a pan to turn into a liquid again.
Homemade Rainbow Crayons
Materials:
OLD non-stick muffin pans
Old crayons
Preheat your oven to 250
1. Peel the paper off the crayons
2. Put 5-10 different colors in each muffin space
3. Place the muffin tins in the oven until the crayons melt
4. Let the new crayons cool overnight
5. Remove the crayons the next day
HOME MADE STICKERS
White vinegar
White glue
Take 2 parts of white glue to 1 part of white vinegar, mix together and apply to the back of whatever you want.
Homemade Paper Mache Paste
3 cups water
1 ½ cups of flour
oil of peppermint
Stir flour into cold water
Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens to a creamy paste
Add more water if the paste gets too thick
Cool
Add a few drops of peppermint oil
Use the paste to coat paper strips
How to Make Paper Mache
You need paper (newspaper, newsprint, paper towels, tissues, wallpaper, tissue paper)
You need paste (wallpaper paste, wheat paste, liquid starch, white glue mixed with an equal amount of water, homemade paste)
Tear paper into strips - coat strips with paste - mold the strips over a base
Fabric Softener Stretcher
I love Febreeze but can't afford the high price, so I have come up with an alternative: fabric softener, baking soda and water. Add 2 cups of softener and 2 cups baking soda to 3 cups water. It works just as well if not better! The baking soda refreshes and fabric - softener adds that great smell. And, the best part is a 2 month supply.
Crystals On a String
To grow crystals, you can use:
Salt
Epsom salt
Sugar
Borax
Baking soda
Laundry soda
In a jar, pour very hot water to whichever substance you decide to work until it reaches saturation. Pour the solution into a clean jar, leaving behind any undissolved substance.
Hang a thread into the center of the jar. Then tie the thread to a pencil that crosses the center of the jar. Then tape a piece of paper over the mouth of the jar using masking tape, which will control the rate of evaporation. Then after 15 minutes, swish the jar a bit. After another 15 minutes repeat this step another time an hour later. Place the jar where it won't be disturbed.
Depending on the substance used, the crystals should begin to grow in an hour or so, and continue to grow from a day to several days.
Crystal Garden
Place broken pieces of brick or terra cotta clay in a glass bowl or jar. Pour the following solution over this:
1 tsp water
1 tsp ammonia
4 tsp bluing
1 tsp Mercurochrome
4 tsp salt
Add more of this solution each day until the crystal garden has grown to the desired size. (Adult supervision required.)
DRYER LINT IDEAS
- Save dryer lint in a large coffee can and use bits of it as fire starter (yes, there's actually a way to benefit from the lint's combustibility). Small amounts of dryer lint can be used when starting a campfire, when using the outdoor barbecue grill (in place of lighter fluid), or when starting a fire in the fireplace. And here's a tip I learned from a Boy Scout: the tighter you roll the lint, the longer it burns. Dryer lint is also incredibly light and easy to pack (compacts down to virtually nothing) for backpackers who need to carry some sort of fire starter with them.
- Use dryer lint and old candle stubs to make great little fire starters that can even be used as gift items. Fill each section of a cardboard egg carton with dryer lint (it must be a cardboard egg carton rather than a Styrofoam one). Melt wax from old candles in a double boiler. Carefully pour the melted wax over the dryer lint until the egg carton sections are full. Let dry. Cut each section apart. Use the fire starters instead of kindling by simply lighting the cardboard.
- Use dryer lint to pad small items being sent through the mail.
- Add dryer lint to your compost pile (but only from natural fabrics such as cotton or wool -- synthetics won't compost).
- Hang a mesh bag (an onion bag from the grocery store works well for this) from a sturdy tree branch filled with a collection of the following items: a few very small clumps of dryer lint*; thin fabric strips; short (2-3 inch) pieces of yarn, thread or string (longer strings can strangle small birds); leaves; feathers; hair; dog combings; small twigs; pine needles; dry grass; cotton; flower petals; Spanish moss; shredded burlap. This is a fun activity since you might actually see some of your brightly colored yarn or string (or dryer lint!) used to build a nearby bird's nest.
*Dryer lint isn't the best nesting material since it doesn't dry out adequately and can cause problems for birds in areas with lots of rain or high humidity. If you live in the desert, it should be all right to use.
DRYER LINT CLAY (please don't eat this!)
3 cups lint
2 cups cold water
1 cup flour
3 drops oil of cloves or wintergreen flavoring (if you want scented clay)
Newspaper
Saucepan
Paint, glue, glitter (or whatever else you might want to use to decorate your finished clay project)
In the saucepan, soak dryer lint in water. When the lint is soaked through, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook dryer lint mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it forms peaks and holds together. Pour onto several layers of newspaper to cool completely. Use like modeling clay or press into a mold (paper mold or cookie mold). Set aside where it won't be disturbed; allow to dry for three to five days. After modeled object is completely dry, paint and decorate. This mixture can also be used like paper mache' and placed -- while wet -- over a form like a balloon.
WARNING!!!
(Seriously! -- a dryer lint warning!) Dryer lint can be a serious fire hazard. Be sure to clean your lint trap regularly -- ideally after every load of clothes (this saves electricity in addition to being a safety precaution). Clean your dryer vent and tubing regularly, as well.
Several years ago, we had our clothes dryer catch fire because of a build-up of lint around the outside of the dryer's internal drum - - the lint had accumulated on the heating coils inside the dryer itself where we couldn't see it until the flames came shooting out when I opened the dryer door one afternoon. Now I take the threat of dryer lint combustion very seriously.
Also, don't use dryer lint to stuff pillows, toys, draft stoppers, or other homemade craft items. Remember, it's highly flammable!
Collage or Decoupage Glue
3 parts white household glue*
1 part warm water
*A thin solution of Paperhanger's Paste or Waterproof or Glass Glue can be substituted.
1. Combine glue with water in a jar or bottle with a screw top lid.
2. Shake until well mixed.
Chocolate Lip Gloss
1 1/2 teaspoons grated cocoa butter
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1/4 teaspoon grated chocolate or 3 small chocolate chips (I like to use the milk chocolate ones).
In a double boiler, or the microwave oven, heat the cocoa butter,
coconut oil and vitamin E oil gently until melted. Stir in the
chocolate and keep stirring until melted. Pour into a small lip gloss container and allow to cool completely before using.
NOTE: This lip gloss, made from blending together cocoa butter and chocolate is an excellent lip conditioner with a mildly sweet taste. It also makes a terrific Valentine's Day gift. I like to wrap this lip gloss in aluminum foil so that it resembles a large Hershey's candy kiss.
