Handmade / Homemade Clay

My wife has never played with homemade clay. This struck me as a travesty that she had never made, had made for her, or played with clay made at home. I found this out when my mother was visiting, somehow alum powder was mentioned as a cooking ingredient, and my wife did not know what it was. Do not let your children (or spouse) go without having played with hand made clay.

The beauty of clay made at home is not just that it saves money; it is that the whole process is part of the fun for the parents and children. This is a project that your kids can help with, and mixing the color into the clay is half of the fun!

Gather Your Materials

This is especially important when you are having your kids help you, because if you have to go back to the cupboard to find one of your other ingredients, you may end up with a bowl-full of flour on your kitchen floor.

For this project, you will need white flour, salt, powdered alum (available in the spice section at your local grocery store), cooking oil, water, food coloring, large mixing bowl, mixing spoon, measuring cup, measuring spoons, cutting board, and airtight containers.

You may ask yourself, "What is Alum, and why is it in my children's clay?" Well, it is what is going to stop your children from having a belly-ache from eating clay! It is a spice available at any grocery store, and it will put a pucker on even the hardiest child's lips when they try eating it. Though this clay is non-toxic, even edible, I would not suggest it.

Combine 2 ½ cups of white flour, ½ cup of salt, and 1 tablespoon of powdered alum. Either mix these dry ingredients with a spoon, or put them through a flour sifter for a good mix.

Add 3 tablespoons of cooking or vegetable oil to your dry ingredients, and continue mixing with your spoon. Add two cups of boiling water (let the parents handle this task) and continue combining your ingredients.

When the ingredients are thoroughly combined, and at a dough-like consistency, put the clay onto a mixing board, separate it into 3 equal piles, and have your children begin kneading the clay. Add food coloring in the desired colors (more food coloring will give a brighter end result).

Store the clay in an airtight container when it is not in use so that it does not dry out, and let your children's imagination run wild. You can secretly play with it when they are not watching!