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Best Art and Craft Recipes

Continually buying craft resources for your little one to use can become really expensive, especially when you have a budding Picasso or Rembrandt. We have gathered a few of our favourite craft recipes below. All are easily home made and guaranteed to save you a small fortune.

Glue

Ingredients
1 cup of plain flour
½ cup of water (a guide only - add until the Glue reaches your desired consistency)
Food colourings of your choice (optional for a variation)

How To?
In a bowl, combine the flour with enough water to make the paste sticky but not too runny. This glue is perfect for paper craft. Store your glue in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight. This glue is best used straight away. If your glue becomes gluggy, mix through some warm water to help loosen it up again. For an added twist, pour some glitter into your glue for a sparkly result.

Play Dough - Cooked

Ingredients
Food colouring of your choice
1 cup of plain flour
½ cup of salt
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

How To?
Place all of the above ingredients into a large saucepan and mix together over a low heat. Make sure that you stir the mixture constantly. The mixture will become thick and form a ball when it is ready. Remove the dough from the saucepan and allow it to cool.
Once the Play Dough has cooled, wrap the Dough in plastic wrap or place in a plastic freezer bag and store it in the refrigerator until needed. Play Dough keeps for 3-5 days if stored correctly. Throw away any Play Dough that has fallen on the floor or that has been in your child's mouth.

Play Dough - Uncooked

Ingredients
1 cup of salt
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
2 cups of plain flour
½cup of water (a guide only - add until the Dough reaches your desired consistency)
Food colouring of your choice

How To?
In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, oil and food colouring. Add enough water to make the Dough form a non-sticky ball. Remove the Play Dough from the bowl and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed. Play Dough keeps for 3-5 days if stored correctly. Throw away any Play Dough that has fallen on the floor or that has been in your child's mouth.

Goop

Ingredients
1 cup of cornflour
2 cups of salt
½ cup of cold water
⅔ cup of hot water
Food colouring of your choice

How To?
Combine the salt and hot water in a saucepan and heat over a low heat for about 3-4 minutes. In a separate bowl, blend the cornflour and cold water together until smooth. Add the hot water and salt mixture to the blended cornflour mixture. Add the food colouring and stir well. Goop will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
 

Finger Paint

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of sugar
½ cup of cornflour
2 cups of cold water
4 x Food colourings of your choice

How To?
Mix together the above dry ingredients in a saucepan. Add the water. Stir the mixture over a low heat until well combined. Pour the mixture into four different containers and add a different colour to each container. Finger paint will keep for 2-3 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cornflour Paint

Ingredients
1 cup of cornflour
4 cups of water
½ cup of sugar
Food colouring of your choice

How To?
Combine the cornflour, sugar and water in a saucepan and heat over a low heat until thick. The mixture will be thick and glossy when its ready. Add the food colouring and stir well. Cornflour Paint will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Basic Paint

Ingredients
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of water +  2 extra tablespoons of cold water
1 cup of hot water
Food colouring of your choice

How to?
Mix the flour and the salt together in a saucepan, and gradually add all of the cold water. Stir well. Add 1 cup of hot water and boil the mixture until it becomes clear. Whisk the mixture until smooth and stir in the food colouring. Paint will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Note - You can separate the mixture into smaller containers before adding the food colouring to have a colour assortment.

Bubble Mixture

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of glycerine
2 tablespoons of washing up liquid
1 cup of water

How To?
Combine all of the above ingredients in a container. Allow the mixture to stand without a lid overnight. The bubble mixture will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.
 

Recipes provided by Our Little Treasure, www.ourlittletreasure.com.au

Kirsty Newbury and Susan Clarke, Co-Founders of Our Little Treasure have a combined experience in the Early Childhood Sector of over 45 years. Both women have children of their own, and Susan is a grandmother of 8. Our Little Treasure was created as a useful and informative tool for anyone looking after children. Both women are passionately committed to improving the quality of information available to parents and carers. Both women believe that providing educationally-based activities is not only easy, but can be done anywhere at any time without large costs or expensive classes.