Craft Ideas and Recipes for Kids

by Lisa Balbach

This page includes a few recipes/crafts that my children have enjoyed. If you have any craft ideas or recipes that your kids have liked, feel free to e-mail me at balbachl@k2.kirtland.cc.mi.us and I will try to include them in this page.

Cinnamon Cookie Dough Pot Pourri
Modeling Clay
Play Doh
Puppets
Sand Casting
Silly Putty

1 cup white school glue
3/4 cup liquid starch

Pour the glue into a plastic container and then add the starch. Stir the ingredients and knead the mixture with your hands. If it sticks to your hands, wipe a little starch on them. If the ingredients don't seem to be mixing well, you may need to heat them in the microwave (heat long enough for them to mix). Allow the mixture to set for a while and store it in a closed container in the refrigerator.

Back to the Top

Kool-Aid Play Doh

This is my favorite play doh recipe because it is easy to make, smells good and it won't harm your child if they taste it.

2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup salt
2 packages dry unsweetened Kool-Aid
2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons oil

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the liquids together and pour them over the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture until it forms a ball (this may take a while - keep stirring). As the mixture cools, it will become less sticky. After the mixture has cooled, take it out of the bowl and knead it until it is smooth.

Back to the Top

Peanut Butter Play Dough

Submitted Anonymously

In a mixing bowl, combine  1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup Karo syrup, 11/2
cups powered milk, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. When thoroughly mixed,
children can shape this dough.  Leftovers should be refrigerated

Back to the Top

Peanut Butter Play Dough

Submitted by Sherryl Byrnes

3/4 Cup Peanut butter
3/4 C wheat germ
1/4 C honey
1/4 C Powder milk
nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds and coconut

Mix the top four ingredients together in a bowl and use the nuts, raisins,
seeds and coconut to decorate. Enjoy  

This is totally edible. When children get done playing with it, put into
baggy for next time.

Back to the Top

This is a great project for a rainy (or snowy) day. In order to complete this project, you will need: empty cereal box, scissors, construction paper, glue, yarn (optional).

In order to make the puppet, find the middle of the box and cut across the width and down each side (only one side of the box will remain uncut). Next, bend the box over the uncut side. You now have the puppet created - place your hands in the open ends of the cereal box.

To decorate your puppet, use the construction paper, scissors and glue. First glue construction paper over the outside of the cereal box (you may need to cut the construction paper to make it fit). Next cut out eyes and any other features you want the puppet to have. Glue them onto the puppet. If you have yarn, macaroni, old shredded cleaning rags etc... you can use them for hair, simply cut and glue.

You have completed your puppet - feel free to add any additional features you want. You can use coloring crayons, glitter etc.... My daughter loved this project - I hope your kids will too.

Back to the Top

Submitted by: Laura L. Shank

These "cookies" are not for eating, but for smelling. They're easy to make, fun and smell good for months.

What you'll need to make them:

10 tbsp. Applesauce
7 ounces Ground Cinnamon
Flour
Extra cinnamon to dust the counter top with

Heat the applesauce in a pan until it's warm. Remove from the heat and add cinnamon. Sauce will reach the consistency of pie dough. Sometimes you need to add flour to help stiffen the dough. When you have reached the desired consistency, dust your counter with cinnamon and roll the dough out with a rolling pin. Use assorted cookie cutters and shapes. Place "cookies" on a cookie sheet (don't forget to punch a hole in each cookie so you can hang it up when it's dry), and let them dry overnight. The next day, turn the "cookies" over and let that side dry overnight. Keep alternating sides until they are completely dry. It may take four or five days (depending upon the humidity).

Here's another version submitted by Linda - NO BAKING REQUIRED.

1. Mix 3/4-1 cup applesauce with one 4.12 oz. bottle ground cinnamon to form
   a stiff dough.
2. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.
3. Cut with cookie cutter.
4. Make hole with straw for ribbon.
5. Carefully put on rack to dry.  Let air dry several days, turning occasionally.   Makes 12 sweet smelling ornaments.
   
   

Back to the Top

Submitted Anonymously

You will need:

1.  Imprint materials, such as shells, hands, feet. 
2.  Wet sand.  
3.  Plaster of Paris, or candle wax & wicks. 
4.  Make an imprint in wet sand with shells, hands feet, juice cans, and the like. 
5.  Pour Plaster of Paris or melted candle wax into the imprint. (Insert wick if using candle wax.)
6.   Remove wax or Plaster of Paris when cool and hard. 

My kids love this! 


Back to the Top

Submitted by: Angel from Ca.

Mix in one bowl:

3/4 cup of water
1 cup glue (such as Elmer's)

Dissolve in separate bowl:

1 cup water
1 tsp. borax

Add both mixtures together and add any coloring you might want if any. You  get a great shiny plastic like silly putty that is really fun! Should be stored the same as play doh. Hope you enjoy it.


Back to the Top

Back to Lisa's Kids Page