So it’s a rainy day and the kids are screaming for something to do. Mom really has other things she needs to be doing, but the kids are insistent. They’re BORED! What can an inventive mom do to help her children pass the time, especially if they have passed the age of Play-Doh? Can she make homemade clay? The recipe for homemade clay is a simple one and has been used by scores of desperate mothers over the years.
The recipe starts with flour, salt and water. Take 2 cups (454 grams) flour and mix it in a bowl with 1 cup (227 grams) salt. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1 cup (237 milliliters) water and slowly stir into the flour mixture until it has a smooth consistency. That’s all there is to it!
Many other recipes are available to make homemade clay, but this most basic one is great for kids and adults. Older children can help measure the ingredients, while younger children can help stir and incorporate the mixture into a dough ball.
An adult will want to let the children mold their clay on wax paper, to minimize clean-up. After that, the child is limited only by his or her imagination. They may make bowls, pots, pans, animals or clay jewelry -- whatever they think is good at the time. The wonderful thing about homemade clay is that it is easy to use, and can be either colored during the mixing process with a couple of drops of food coloring, or it can be painted later.
When the art has been completed, mom or dad needs to bake the creations in a 250-degree Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius) oven for 45 minutes to one hour. When the art has cooled, it can be painted and shellacked to make it more permanent.
Children have been using this recipe to make homemade clay and create Christmas ornaments for years. The dough, incidentally, can also be rolled out and cookie cutters used to shape ornaments. An ornament hole can be made in the top of the ornament before baking, and should stay open during the baking process. With this easy recipe to make homemade clay, a mom can always answer the question, “What can we do?”