Bubble Solution
1 cup water
4 tbsp. clear dish detergent
2 tbsp. clear syrup (corn syrup like Karo works well)
Mix ingredients together. Use straws to blow bubbles.
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Colored
Rice
Rice is one ingredient that's easy
to find in almost any country. This recipe yields brightly colored rice for
use in any craft project.
1 cup white rice (also works with pasta)
1 tsp. rubbing alcohol
food coloring
Mix a few drops of food coloring with alcohol. Put rice in sealable container.
Pour liquid mixture over rice and shake until color is evenly distributed.
Spread colored rice in a thin layer to dry. Store rice in dry air-tight
container.
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Colored
Sand
An alternative to coloring--especially
helpful for tactile learners
fine sand
dry tempera paints
Mix sand with dry tempera paints until sand reaches desired color. Store
in a resealable container.
Using fingers, toothpicks, or paintbrushes, kids can lightly coat an area
with glue. They may then sprinkle the area with colored sand, shaking the
paper gently to equally distribute sand, then returning excess to container.This
is a fun alternative to traditional coloring.
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Flubber
You've seen the movie. . . . Now
make your own "Flubber"!
Mix together in one bowl:
1 cup white glue
3/4 cup warm water
green food coloring
Mix together in a second bowl:
2 tsp. Borax
1/2 cup warm water
After both mixtures have been well-mixed, mix both together in one large
bowl. Do not stir. Just reach in and pull out the glob of "flubber." Need
glob for a few minutes. Store in air-tight container.
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Salt
Glitter
Want to use glitter in a project,
but can't find the stuff anywhere? No problem! This easy-to-make (and
inexpensive) recipe offers a great substitute!
1/2 cup salt
5-8 drops food coloring
Mix salt with food coloring, adding
one drop of coloring at a time until desired color is reached. Spread colored
salt in a thin layer to air dry or microwave 1-2 minutes until moisture is
evaporated.
If food coloring is not available, you may use watercolors (the more
concentrated, the better), but you'll need to allow for longer drying times.
Either way, storage is a breeze....simply store each color of your dried
salt glitter in a salt shaker! This makes the glitter easy for students to
use while limiting the mess.
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Silly Putty
1 cup white glue
food coloring
2 drops oil of cloves
approximately 1/2 cup liquid starch
Mix glue with a few drops of food coloring until desired color is achieved.
(Pastels work best; it's almost impossible to get brighter colors.) Stir
in oil of cloves. Then begin adding liquid starch. Continue stirring
in starch until mixture reaches a shapeable, stretchable consistency. You
may need slightly less or more than one cup of starch, depending on humidity.
Store in an airtight container.
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Soap Crayons
1 cup Ivory Snow
2 Tbsp. hot water
liquid food coloring
Mix soap flakes with hot water. The mixture will be very stiff. Divide dough
into four or five balls. Add a different color to each, adding a few drops
of food coloring at a time until it becomes a rich, thick paste. Press into
small paper cups or other molds and allow to dry for at least a week. After
"crayons" harden, remove from molds and allow to dry at least another week
before use.
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Soap
Foam
6 tbsp. liquid starch
1 cup soap powder (A mild laundry detergent works well.)
liquid food coloring or dry tempera paints
Whip all ingredients with a mixer. Plan to make a separate recipe for each
color. Foam may be stored briefly in an air-tight container. (It deflates
over time, but may be resurrected at least a couple of times by whipping
again.)
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