A fun and easy way to keep children entertained for hours is to make modeling clay at home. In fact, making the clay can be just as fun as playing with it. The ingredients you’ll need are very basic baking ingredients that can be found at most any grocery store. The recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make. You’ll need a mixing bowl, a cooking pot, and several spoons. Ingredients include three-fourths of a cup of flour, one-half of a cup of salt, one and one-half teaspoons of powdered alum, one and one-half teaspoons of vegetable oil, and the food coloring of your choice. Make sure that you don’t use self-rising flour. First, combine the flour, salt, and alum in a mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and some boiling water as needed. Stir vigorously with a spoon until well blended. You’ll know the clay is ready when it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl and is cool enough to handle. Add food coloring and knead the clay until the color is well blended and the clay is the desired tint. For different colors of clay, you’ll need to make several batches and add a different color every time. Avoid mixing colors into one clay mix. You may wind up with a very uncommon or unattractive color. This recipe makes about one cup of clay. You may double the recipe for larger projects. Now, you’re ready to make creative clay projects with your own homemade modeling clay. Store the clay in a jar with a tight lid. It should keep for several months without refrigeration. If you expose the clay to air overnight, it will most likely dry to a hard finish.
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