You are going to need the baking soda, corn starch, and, if desired, food coloring. This mixes into a nice cold porcelain type clay that is soft and easy to work with for adults and kids.
Baking Soda Clay
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup cold water
Combine everything in a medium nonstick pan and mix until smooth. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring. Cook over low heat until mixture thickens into a similar texture as mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, covering with a lid or wet cloth. When it has cooled it is ready to sculpt.
We hand formed it and rolled out a slab to cut out shapes for necklace charms and ornaments. If you roll it, be sure not to roll it too thin.
If you make ornaments or charms, use a toothpick to create the hole before air drying. We also added the etchings while it was wet, though it is soft enough you may be able to do it after they are dry. If you need to stick pieces together you can dip your finger in a bowl of water to wet the edges, but avoid getting the clay too moist.
Since we are having triple digit temperatures here, I set the unpainted finished shapes outside to dry. The smaller ornaments were ready to handle within 24 hours, but the larger pieces should have sat for two days. Once they are dry, they are easily painted using acrylic craft paint. We painted our pieces and, for extra durability, added a thick coat of Mod Podge to seal them with.
I am starting a new job as the official art teacher at a Montessori school next week. I'm thinking this might be a great alternative for my students to experience using clay, since we won't have a kiln. Plus, it will be easy on the art budget. I will have to do a test run on cooking up larger batches.
This, by far, was my favorite project using the handful of household supplies we had on hand. I think they turned out beautifully, don't you?
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