Art Recipes

Play Dough
4 cups flour
¼ cup powdered tempera
¼ cup salt
1 ½ cups water
1 T oil
Mix together flour, powdered paint and salt. Mix water and oil, and food coloring if desired. Gradually stir the water and oil mix into the flour mix. Knead the mix as you add the liquid. Add more water if too stuff more flour is sticky.

Simple Play Dough
3 cups flour
1 ½ cups salt
6 tsp. Cream of tartar
3 cups cool water
3 Tbs. oil
Food Coloring
Mix dry ingredients in a big cooking pot. Blend liquids together in a bowl. Combine with dry ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when dough pulls away from the sides of the pot and can be pinched without sticking (about 5 minutes). Turn onto board or counter and knead until smooth play dough consistency. Store in an airtight container.

Just like the REAL Play Dough (so they say)
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 Tbs. powdered alum
½ cup salt
2 Tbs. vanilla
Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until reaching the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and food coloring. Divide into balls and work in color by kneading.

Uncooked PlayDough
1 cup cold water
1 cup salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 Tbs. cornstarch
Tempera paint or food coloring
Mix water, salt, oil, and enough paint to make bright colors. Gradually work flour and cornstarch to consistency of bread dough.

Kool-Aid Play Dough
½ cup salt
2 cups water
2 Tbs. salad oil
2 cups flour
2 Tbs. alum
Kool-Aid for color
Boil salt in water until salt is dissolved. Add Kool-Aid for color. Add salad oil, flour, and alum. Knead or process until smooth. Keeps for two months or longer.

Colored Play Dough
1 cup flour
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup water
½ cup salt
2 tsp. Cream of tartar
Food Coloring
Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly until ball forms. Knead until smooth.

Salt Play Dough
1 cup salt
1 cup water
½ cup flour
Mix ingredients and cook over medium heat. Remove from heat when thick and rubbery. As mixture cools, knead in enough flour to make workable dough.
Nature’s Play Dough
1 cup flour
½ cup salt
1 cup water
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. cream of tartar
Beet, spinach, and carrot juice
Mix flour, salt, and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your hands until the proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of the vegetable juices to make green, pin, and orange.

Creative Dough
1 cup flour
2 tsp. Cream of tartar
½ tsp. Salt
1 cup water
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. Vanilla, optional
About 15 drops of food coloring
Cook all ingredients in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, stirring real hard until mixture forms a ball. About 4 minutes. Remove from pan and let sit for about 5 minutes. Knead briefly and the dough is ready to use. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Cloud Dough
Flour
Vegetable oil
Powdered tempera paint
Large bowl water
Mix 6 cups flour with the desired amount of tempera paint in a large bowl. Add 1½ cups oil and 1 cup water and knead well. If necessary, add more water, in small amounts, until the dough is soft and fluffy. More flour can be added if the dough becomes too sticky.



Peanut Butter Play Dough
18 oz. peanut butter
6 Tbs. honey
Non-fat dry milk
Cocoa for flavor
Mix all ingredients, adding enough dry milk to make dough pliable. Shape, decorate with edible treats, and eat!

Clay Recipes
No-Bake Craft Clay
1 cup cornstarch
1 ¼ cups cold water
2 cups baking soda
Food coloring
Paint
Mix all ingredients except paint in a saucepan over medium heat for 4 minutes until thick (like mashed potatoes). Add food coloring to water before mixture adding for color. Remove from heat, turn out onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth until cool. Knead like dough. Store in airtight container

Cookie Clay
2 cups salt
2/3 cups water
1 cup cornstarch
½ cup cold water
Mix salt with water in saucepan. Stir and boil. Add cornstarch and cold water. Keep heating if it does not get thick. Roll out dough on board floured with cornstarch. Dry and decorate ornaments.

Modeling Clay
2 cups salt
2/3 cup water
1 cup cornstarch
½ cup water (cold)
Stir salt and water over heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cornstarch and cold water. Mix until smooth, return to heat and cook until thick. Cool before using. Store in plastic bag.
Potter’s Clay
½ cup flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup salt dissolved in a 3 ¾ cup boiling water
Blend flour and cornstarch with enough water to make a paste. Boil water and salt. Add to cornstarch mix and cook until clear. Cool overnight, and then add 6 to 8 cups of flour and knead until you have the right consistency. Note: Keeps a metal saltshaker full of flour handy for the children to keep their clay from sticking.

Bread Clay
6 slices white bread
6 Tbs. white glue
½ tsp. Detergent or 2 tsp. Glycerin
Food coloring
Remove crusts from bread and knead with glue. Add either detergent or glycerin. Knead until no longer sticky. Separate into portions and add food coloring if desired. Shape and brush with equal parts of glue and water for a glossy coat. Allow drying overnight to harden. Paint with acrylic paint. Seal with clear nail polish.

Quick and Easy Modeling Dough
¾ cup flour (not self-rising)
½ cup salt
1 ½ tsp. powdered alum
1 ½ tsp. vegetable oil
½ cup boiling water
Food coloring
Mix flour, salt, and alum in a mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and boiling water. Stir vigorously with a spoon until well blended. Dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl and should be cool enough to handle. Add food coloring and knead into dough until color is well blended and the dough is the desired tint.


Baker’s Clay
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 tsp. powdered alum
1 ½ cups water
Food coloring
Mix all ingredients in bowl. If too dry work in extra water with hands. Color by dividing and adding food coloring to each portion. Roll or mold as desired. Once molded or rolled bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 30 minutes in 250-degree oven. Turn and bake another 1-½ hours. Remove and cool. When done, sand lightly if desired and paint.

Treasure Stone: Make a fun stone with a hidden treasure inside.
1 cup flour
1 cup used coffee grinds
½ cup salt
¼ cup sand
1 cup water
Mix all dry ingredients together. Slowly add the water to make stiff dough; you might end up using only half the water- add it slowly or your dough will be too runny! Knead on a floured surface until fairly smooth. Break the dough into desired rock sizes. Hide toys and surprises in the center of a ball of dough. Set in a safe place until totally dry. At least 3-4 day. Once it is dry the dough will look and feel like a rock. You can carefully break open the homemade rocks with a hammer to reveal the hidden treasures inside.

Finger Paint Recipes
Liquid Starch Finger Paint
¼ cup liquid laundry starch
2 drops food coloring
Or 1 tsp. tempera paint
Mix ingredients in a small plastic bowl until blended.

Jell-o Finger Paint
Any kind of flavored jell-o
Enough boiling water to make it a goo consistency for finger paint
Use normal finger painting material or glossy paper. Kids love the smell and the feel of it.
Cornstarch Finger Paint
3 Tbs. sugar
½ cup cornstarch
2 cups cold water
Food coloring
Soap flakes or liquid dishwashing soap
Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan over low heat. Add cold water and stir until mixture is thick. Remove from heat. Divide into 4 or 5 portions. Add a drop or two of food coloring to each portion and a pinch of soap flakes or soap. Stir and let cool. Store in airtight container.

Flour Finger Paint
1 cup flour
2 Tbs. salt
1 ¼ cup hot water
1 ½ cup cold water
Food coloring
Or tempera paint
Put flour and salt in a saucepan and add cold water. Beat with a whisk or rotary beater until smooth. Add hot water and boil until mixture is thick. Beat until smooth. Keep in refrigerator and add food coloring as needed.

Laundry Starch Finger Paint
1 cup laundry starch dissolved in cold water
1 quart boiling water
1 cup pure white soap flakes or powder
Food coloring or poster paint
Add boiling water starch and cold water mixture and boil until thick. Remove from heat and stir in soap. Divide into small containers and add food coloring as desired.

Pudding Finger Paint
Instant vanilla pudding
Food coloring
Mix pudding according to direction. Add food coloring for desired color. Finger paint on paper plates. Edible.

Paint Recipes
Scratch and Sniff Paint
Peppermint, orange, or your favorite extract
Paint
Paper
Paint brush
Have the children mix a few drops of extract to paint, paint a picture, let dry, then smell the different scents.

Scratch and Sniff Watercolor Paint
1 Tbs. powdered drink mix (unsweetened is best)
1 Tbs. warm water
Muffin tins or baby food jars
Small mixing bowl
Mix the water and drink mix in a small mixing bowl. Paint on paper the way you would with any watercolor paint. Use different drink mixes for different colors (grape, cherry, lemon, etc.) Let paint dry overnight before scratching and sniffing.

Scented Paint
A package of gelatin the same color as the pain (red paint-cherry or strawberry gelatin)
Tempera paint
Paper
Paintbrushes and fingers
Encourage children to small the paint as they work with it. Mix strawberry gelatin with red paint.

Poster Paint
¼ cup flour
1 cup water
3 Tbs. powdered tempera paint
2 Tbs. water
½ tsp. liquid starch or liquid detergent
Measure flour into saucepan. Slowly add 1-cup water until mixture is smooth. Heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Cool. Add ¼ cup flour paste into small jar or plastic container. Add tempera paint and water for each color. For opaque finish add liquid starch. For glossy finish add liquid.
Easel Paint
1 part powdered paint
2 parts powdered detergent
2 parts water
Mix powdered paint and powdered detergent together. Slowly mix in two parts water, stirring to eliminate any lumps. This basic recipe can be used to mix either large or small amounts as long as you keep the proper proportions.

Clown Paint
1/8 cup baby lotion
¼ tsp. powdered tempera paint
1 squirt liquid dishwashing soap
Easily removed by soap and water.

Puffy Paint
Flour
Salt
Water
Tempera Paint
Mix equal amounts of flour, salt, and water. Add liquid tempera paint for color. Pour mixture into squeeze bottles and paint. Mixture will harden in a puffy shape.

Snow Paint
Food coloring
Water
Place water and food coloring in empty spray bottle. Let children spay colors on the snow to make designs.

Water Paint
Bucket
Water
Sponges
Brushes
Fill a bucket with water and use brushes and sponges or other materials to paint water on sidewalk. “Paint” will disappear as it dries.

Soap Paint
Warm water
3 cups Ivory Snow Powder
Paint or food coloring
Add water, a little at a time, to ivory Snow. Mix to consistency of heavy cream. Color with small amount of powder paint or food coloring.

Condensed Milk Paint
1 cup condensed milk
Food coloring
Mix one-cup condensed milk with a few drops of food coloring. This makes a very bright, glossy colored paint.

Frosting Paint (non-edible)
1 cup powdered tempera paint
2 Tbs. wallpaper paste
¼ to ½ cup liquid laundry starch
Mix tempera paint with wallpaper paste. Add starch, mixing until thick enough to spread-like frosting. Place paint on a plastic lid and use Popsicle sticks to spread.

Face Paint
1 tsp. corn starch
½ tsp. water
½ tsp. cold cream
Food Coloring
Stir together starch and cold cream until well blended. Add water and stir. Add food coloring. Using a small brush paint designs on child’s face. Remove with soap and water. Store in airtight container.

Face Paint for Larger Areas
1 Tbs. solid shortening
2 Tbs. cornstarch
Food Coloring
Mix shortening and starch together until smooth. Add food coloring. Use a sponge or your fingers to apply to face. Remove with soap and water. Store in an airtight container.

Egg Yolk Paint
1 egg yolk
¼ tsp. water
Food Coloring
Mix egg yolk with water and lots of food coloring. Use a paintbrush to pain on baked cookies. Return cookies to oven until egg had solidified.

Glue and Paste Recipes
Glue
¾ cup water
2 Tbs. corn syrup
1 tsp. white vinegar
½ cup cornstarch
¾ cup cold water
Mix water, syrup and vinegar in small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. In small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water. Add this mixture slowly to first mixture. Stir constantly. Let stand overnight before using.

Homemade Paste
½ cup flour
Cold water
Add cold water to ½ cup flour until a thick cream forms. Simmer on stove for 5 minutes. Add food coloring or flavoring if desired. Wet messy paint that takes a while to dry.

Paper Mache Paste
1 cup water
¼ cup flour
5 cups lightly boiling water
Mix flour into one cup water until mixture is think and runny, stir into boiling water. Gently boil and stir for 3 minutes. Cool before using. (use with newspaper strips for paper mache.

Colored Glue
4 oz. glue bottles (filled ¾ of the way with white glue)
Various colors of tempera paint
You may choose to make any color of glue that you would like. Children can use the colored glue to draw pictures on construction paper. When the glue dries it will have a special look to it!

Library Paste
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. alum
4 cups water
Oil of cloves
Mix all ingredients in saucepan and cook until clear and thick. Add 30 drops of oil of cloves and store covered.

Miscellaneous Recipes
Pasta Dye
½ cup rubbing alcohol
Food Coloring
Mix alcohol and food coloring in bowl. Add small amounts of any type of pasta to liquid and gently stir. Dry on newspapers covered with wax paper. Do no allow children to eat pasta or drink alcohol.

Egg Dye
¼ tsp. food coloring
¾ cup hot water
1 Tbs. vinegar
Measure liquids into a bowl. Separate into small bowls. Add food coloring to each mixture. Soak hard-boiled eggs in dye.

Great Goop
2 cups water
½ cup cornstarch
Food Coloring
Boil water in saucepan-add cornstarch stirring until smooth. Add food coloring and stir. Remove from heat and cool. Child can play with goop on any plastic covered surface.
Whipped Snow
2 cups warm water
1 cup pure laundry soap or flakes
Electric mixer
Put water and soap in large bowl and beat with mixer until very fluffy. Add food coloring if desired. This can be molded into shapes and left to dry.

Homemade Silly Putty
2 parts white glue
1 part liquid starch
Mix ingredients and let dry until workable. Add more glue or starch if necessary. May not work on humid days. Store in airtight container.

Another Silly Putty
Combine approximately 2 parts Elmer’s glue (DO NOT USE CHEAP GLUE-it is too watery) to 1 part liquid starch. Stir it and it will stick to whatever you’re stirring it with. If the mixture sticks to your fingers, add more liquid starch. If it won’t stick to itself, add more glue. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. If you want the mixture to get tougher and thicker, let it dry out a bit in the air. If you get it just right it will pick up newsprint like the store bought stuff. Silly putty is a lot of fun to cut with scissors. Also use some play dough toys with it, or ice cube trays, muffin tins, plastic strawberry baskets, etc. If you get it on fabric, use vinegar to get it out.

Blubber
Again, watch out for cheap glue that has too much water in it.
Mix ½ cup water with ½ cup glue in a separate container; mix ½ cup water with 2 Tbs. Borax. While stirring the Borax mixture constantly, add the glue mixture. It should immediately glump up and looks like blubber (or at least what we imagine blubber to look like.) If it isn’t really glumpy and tough, mix up more Borax mixture and add that to it. Use the same toys as with silly putty. This does not stick to things as much as silly putty.
Ooblik
In a large pan with sides or on a tray with sides, pour in a bunch of cornstarch. Add a little bit of water. Let the kids mix it up with their fingers. If it’s too stiff to mix, add more water until it’s just a little bit stiff. Add toys like funnels, measuring cups, wooden spoons, spatulas, or be creative! To save this mixture, let it dry out completely, and then put it in a plastic bag for another rainy day.

Best Bubble Solution
1 cup water
2 Tbs. light karo syrup or 2 Tbs. glycerin
4 Tbs. dishwashing liquid

Bubble Mix #2
½ cup water
½ cup liquid detergent
1 Tbs. cooking oil

Colored Bubbles
1 cup granulated soap or soap powder
1 quart warm water
Liquid food coloring
Plastic straws
Small juice cans
Dissolve soap in warm water, stir in food coloring. Give each child a can about 1/3 full of mix and a plastic straw to blow the bubbles.

Squeeze Bottle Glitter
1 part flour
1 part salt
1 part water
Mix equal parts of flour, salt, and water. Pour into plastic squeeze bottles, such as those used for ketchup or mustard. Add liquid coloring for variety. Squeeze onto heavy construction paper or cardboard. The salt gives the designs of glistening quality when dry.
Modeling “Goop”
2/3 cup water
2 cups salt
½ cup water
1 cup cornstarch
Beads, colored macaroni and other small objects
Add 2/3-cup water to the salt in a pan, stir and cook over medium heat, stirring 4-5 minutes until salt is dissolved. Remove mix from heat. Gradually mix ½ cup water with the cornstarch in a separate container. Stir until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the salt mixture. Return to low heat and stir and cook until smooth. The goop with thicken quickly. Remove from heat and use for modeling objects. Objects made from this goop can also be hardened in the sun. This mix will not crumble when dry. Objects like macaroni, etc. can be added to the goop, and adhered to the models.

Flubber
Solution A:
1 ½ cup warm water
2 cup Elmer’s glue
Food coloring
Solution B:
4 tsp. borax
1 1/3 cup warm water
Mix solution A in one bowl, mix solution B in another bowl. Dissolve both well. Pour solution A into Solution B. DO NOT MIX OR STIR! Just lift out flubber. Store in baggies.

Homemade Bath Salts
2 ½ lbs. Epsom Salts
Food Coloring
Perfume (or vanilla, peppermint, etc.)
Combine Epsom salts with food coloring and perfume in a large bowl. Mix well so color is even. Put into smaller jars and let stand 4-6 weeks before using. This causes the odor to blend with the salts. This bath salt is very soothing and makes for a very relaxed bath.

Goop (Make your own Slime)
1 part liquid starch
2 parts Elmer’s glue
Food Coloring (optional)
Mix and enjoy. It’s supposed to be like slime

Clean Mud
Warm water (warm enough to melt soap)
1 bar dove soap
1 roll white toilet paper
Have the children tear up the toilet paper into little bits (the smaller the better). Using a cheese grater, grate the bar of soap into a big bowl. Add the torn up toilet paper to the bowl. Add the warm water a little bit at a time mixing the toilet paper and the soap together. You have added enough water when the mixture begins to feel like a thick cool whip. Do not make the mixture soupy. The more you play with it the fluffier it becomes. Kids have an absolute blast with it!

Feely Bags
½ cup dippity-do hair gel
Food Coloring
Ziploc bag
Add food coloring and dippity-do to Ziploc bag- make sure it is sealed well, and let children manipulate

Slime (like “Silly Putty”)
1 cup Elmer’s glue
Liquid starch
Add starch to glue until mixture becomes a pliable ball. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Crayons
Put pieces of old crayons of the same or similar colors in a coffee can and set it in a pan of water on the stove. Cook until melted. Pour the wax into a mold and allow hardening.

Rainbow Stew
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cornstarch
4 cups cold water
Cook until thick. Put in bowls, add food coloring. Put in Ziploc baggies. Let the kids play with it while it is in the bags for a neat sensory experience or use it to mix colors.

Soap Crayons #1
Ice cube tray
Liquid food coloring for each color crayon
2 Tbs. hot water
1 cup soap flakes
For each color, put two tablespoons of hot water and one cup of soap flakes into a bowl. Add as many drops of food coloring to the mix as you wish. Stir the soap mixture until it thickens. This takes time, so be patient. Press spoonfuls of the first color of soap into sections of ice tray. Mix enough soap in other colors to fill the entire tray, repeating the first two steps. Let the soap crayons dry for one or two days. Gently bang the ice tray to loosen the crayons.

Soap Crayons #2
1 ¾ cup ivory snow (powder)
50 drops food coloring
¼ cup water
Mix water and soap flakes together. Add food coloring and put mixture into an ice cube tray. Allow hardening. Break or cut into pieces. Fun to write with on the tub when bathing and face and hands.

Sidewalk Chalk
2 cups water
2 cups Plaster of Paris
2 Tbs. tempera paint (wet or dry)
Toilet paper tubes with duct tape over one end
Combine and stir together. Let stand a few minutes. Place tubes on cookie sheet lined with foil or wax paper. Pour mixture into holders, let stand until semi-firm. Remove holders and let dry completely ready to use in about 1 to 1 ½ hours. (Never pour plaster down sink)
Dryer Lint Modeling Material
3 cups lint (from laundry dryers)
2 cups cold or warm water
2/3 cups non-self-rising wheat flour
3 drops oil of wintergreen
Old newspaper
Put lint and water in a large saucepan. Stir to dampen all parts of the lint. Add flour and stir thoroughly to prevent lumps. Add oil of wintergreen. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture holds together and forms peaks. Pour out onto several thickness of newspaper to cool. Use as you would paper-mache pulp or shaped over armatures (boxes, bottles, balloons, and so forth) or press into a mold. This material will dry in 3 to 5 days to a very hard, durable surface. When wet it has a felt-like consistency. It dries to smooth or rough, depending on how it is used. When pressed into a mold, a hard, smooth finish is obtained. Store in an airtight container, it will keep for several days.
Material to Collect for the ART Center
Aluminum foil
Beads
Belts
Bottles
Bracelets
Braiding
Buckles
Burlap
Buttons
Cartons
Canvas
Cellophane
Chalk
Clay
Cloth
Confetti
Containers
Corn husks
Corn stalks
Crayon pieces
Eyelets
Fabrics
Felt
Felt hats
Flannel
Floor covering
Glass
Gourds
Hat boxes
Jars
Jugs
Lacing
Lampshades
Leather remnants
Linoleum
Macaroni
Magazines
Mirrors
Nails
Necklaces
Neckties
Noodles
Oil cloth
Ornaments
Pans
Paper bags
Paper boxes
Paper cardboard
Paper corrugated
Paper dishes
Paper doilies
Paper napkins
Paper newspaper
Paper tissue
Paper towels
Paper tubes
Paper wrapping
Photographs
Picture frames
Pine cones
Pins
Pipe cleaners
Plastic bags
Plastic paint
Plastic board
Pocket books
Reeds
Ribbon
Rings
Rope
Rubber bands
Rug yarn
Safety pins
Sand
Sandpaper
Seashells
Seeds
Shoelaces
Snaps
Sponges
Soaps
Spools
Stockings
Tape
Thread
Tiles
Tin cans
Tin foil
Tongue depressors
Towels
Tubes
Twine
Wallpaper
Wax
Wire
Wire eyelets
Wire hairpins
Wire paper clips
Wooden beads
Wooden blocks
Wood scraps
Toothpicks
Wool
Yarn
Zippers











Where to Get Free Materials for the ART Center
Alteration Shops
Fabric scraps
Spools

Appliance Stores
Styrofoam packing material
Cardboard boxes

Around the Home
Egg cartons
Tubes from paper towels
Tubes from toilet paper rolls
Catalogs
Fabric scraps
Empty food boxes
Shoeboxes
Magazines and newspapers

Beaches
Shells
Rocks

Building Contractors
Floor samples
Tile samples
Paneling samples
Wood scraps
Knobs

Carpet and Floor Stores
Carpet samples
Remnant tile
Tile samples

Copy Shops
Computer paper
Colored and white scrap paper
Misprinted paper
Ends of paper rolls



Department Stores
Display material
Discarded stationary
Boxes
Catalogs

Flower Shops
Discarded cellophane
Colored aluminum foil, etc.
Dried plants and flowers

Libraries
Old date cards
Date stamps

Paint and Wallpaper Stores
Wallpaper sample books
Color folders

Photography Stores
Empty film canisters
Mis-cut mat board
Centers from mat board frames

Public Schools
Old textbooks
Old workbooks

Supermarkets
Egg cartons
Boxes
Paper bags
Containers
Fruit boxes

Yarn Shops
Samples of yarn and fabric
Color samples
Buttons
Spools
Catalogs
Remnants
Broken packages of yarn
Cardboard tubes