One of my all time favourite things to both make and play with my girls was playdough. I love the smell and the feel of freshly cooked playdough. In my early days of working in child care I even had my hubby making it as well and enjoying it as much as I did. So even though the girls enjoy playdough I thought they might like to experiment with something a little different but similar - salt clay. Salt clay can be moulded just like playdough but hardens after 4 hours in the sun or an hour in a moderate oven and then afterwards it can be painted. It's cheap and simple to make too. I found that the girls were enjoying the different texture, sound and smell of the salt dough using lots of descriptive words as they played like crunch, rough and noticed how the salt dough 'sparkled'. The two of them were busy for ages creating shapes and then afterwards painting them. The recipe I used to make the salt clay is quick, gives children lots of opportunity for creative expression and is a great tactile medium for being creative also.
Salt Clay
1 cup of salt
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of cornflour
Colouring if desired
Mix well and cook over a low flame stirring all the time until the mixture thickens. Remove immediately and cool. Store in a plastic container. Bake in moderate over for 1 hour or leave to harden in the sun for 4 hours.
Do you have a favourite crafty project you like to do with your little ones or one that you enjoyed when you were little? Crafting with children is so much fun because you get to relive some of those fun childhood memories and just enjoy the carefree nature of being a child which I find refreshing and freeing.
Have a great Thursday!
