Colored Sand
1 cup of sand
2 tsp of dry tempera
paint
1 tsp water
Add the dry tempera
paint to the sand and mix well with a fork. Stir in
the water.
Allow the sand to dry several hours before using.
Sand Goop Frames/ Fossils
1 cup clean sand
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2tsp alum (find
in spice section of your grocery store)
1/2 cup water
Pour the sand into
an old cooking pot. Add cornstarch, water and
alum. Stir.
Set the concoction on the stove over medium heat and
stir. As
it gets warm it begins to liquefy. In 2-3 minutes it will get
thicker.
As the goop stiffens and clumps like a stiff cookie dough,
remove from the
head and keep stirring for a few more seconds as it
cools down.
Plop it onto a cutting board or tough surface, spread it
slightly for further
cooling. When comfortable to touch, begin molding
and/or adhering
to chosen frames.
To make a sand
frame:
Arrange and glue
a few seashells on a wooden frame with a 1-inch or
larger edge.
Use a paintbrush to apply household glue directly onto the
frame around the
shells. With your fingers, press a thin layer of sand
goop on the glue.
Let dry for 1-2 days. Brush off any loose sand.
To make a fossil:
Form a ball of
sand goop the size of a tennis ball) around a rubber toy
or whimsical plastic
trinket. Let dry for a few days until the ball is hard.
Then, tap the ball
with a hammer. It will crack open to reveal the
surprise.
Note: Adult
supervision and participation is required for this
activity.
Placemats
newspaper
postcards
clear contact paper
Cut two pieces of
clear contact paper slightly larger than the size you
want your place
mat to be. Peel off the paper from the backside of one
of the pieces of
clear contact paper. Stick on the postcards, pictures,
newspaper articles,
etc. you want to decorate the place mat with.
Remove the backside
of the remaining piece of clear contact paper
and place the clear
contact paper over your pictures. Trim away any
excess contact
paper being careful to leave a 1-inch border from your
decorations.
Now you have a beautiful personalized place mat. Make
as many as you
need. One for a gift or a whole set for the family.
Wavemaker
Clear Plastic Soda
bottle (2-liter size is preferable)
Food coloring
Vegetable Oil,
colorless
Tap water
Glitter or metallic
confetti or small trinkets (optional)
Fill bottle half
way full with water and add about 4 drops of food
coloring.
Confetti or glitter can be added next if desired, a few pinches
at a time.
Using a small funnel, fill the bottle the rest of the way to the
cap with vegetable
oil. Add a dab of glue around the treads on the
bottle top, screw
the cap on tightly to seal. Colored plastic tape can be
wrapped around
the cap of extra sealing protection and decoration .
Tilt and rock slowly
from side to side to create action in your wave
maker.