Kate Aumuller is a teaching artist at Bridgeway Academy. She and her students explored cells and biology through art making. She has been making dragon eggs since the stay at home order. Here is the first of two lessons for making dragon eggs. The clay is also gluten free!
How to make air-dry clay (no flour needed) using supplies from home! What you will need:
Ingredients:
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cups water
food coloring (optional)
Equipment:
Whisk or fork
Rubber spatula
Medium sized pot
Medium sized bowl
Step 1: Using your fork or whisk, mix the 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda, and 1 ½ cups water in a medium sized pot until you no longer see any lumps and the mixture is completely smooth, about 5 minutes. The mixture will be difficult to stir at first, but stick with it and just be patient!
Step 2 (optional but highly recommended): Add a few drops of food coloring to change the color of your clay! Your clay can be red, blue, green, orange, yellow, or you could add a bunch of different colors and see what happens, it is up to you! Keep adding food coloring until you are happy with the way it looks- the more drops of food coloring you add, the deeper the color will be.
Step 3: Using your rubber spatula, stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until it begins to bubble and thicken, becoming the consistency of whipped mashed potatoes, about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the mixture from heat and transfer it into a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a wet kitchen towel and let it sit until the dough is cool to the touch, about 5-10 minutes.
Step 5: Knead the clay until it’s smooth! If you find your clay to be a little bit sticky, add more cornstarch by the teaspoon. If the clay is too thick, knead in more water by the teaspoon.
Step 6: Roll, shape, mold and dry your clay! This is where you get to let your creativity explode and use any and all materials to create a clay masterpiece! Maybe you are creating a galaxy and need to make stars and planets, maybe you are catching fairies and need to create a fairy village, or maybe you are hatching dinosaur eggs, the sky’s the limit, friends! You can decorate your creations with gems, shells, and any other materials you can find around your house!
Step 7: Once you are done creating your clay masterpiece, place it somewhere safe to dry! Your clay creations will take 12-24 hours to dry or until they are no longer cool to the touch. If you aren’t quite finished working on it and need to take a break, make sure to store it in an airtight container so it does not dry out!
Clean up tips and tricks: Soak pot and any other tools used in hot, soapy water for 20 minutes and then wipe and rinse them off. The food coloring may dye your hands but nothing a little soap and warm water can’t fix! If you want to save your kitchen table or counter from any clay creation explosions, place a piece of wax or parchment paper down first before creating! Recycled cardboard will do just fine too:)