No Cook Clay (Hardens When Air Dried)

I never thought I could make a beautiful craft out of cornstarch and glue. One boring day, I decided to search for a new project that I and the kids could work on.  Pinterest is the perfect site for that. While searching, I found this idea: making clay using cornstarch and glue as the main ingredients.  After reading the instructions, I headed to our kitchen, grabbed the cornstarch, and of course we had glue at home, and started working.

As promised here's the tutorial on how make the no cook clay that dries hard.  Compared to salt clay this clay turns out so white.  Figures using salt clay turns hard too but becomes soggy and watery in hot and humid weather so it will not last very long. I have a tutorial on how to a make salt clay too.  Click here.

Materials:

• cornstarch
• glue 
• mixing bowl
• oil / vegetable oil 

Optional materials

• cookie cutters
• food color  
• roling pin
• poster colors / acrylic paints / nail polish (for coloring)

Put the cornstarch in your mixing bowl and make a well.  Put the glue in the well.  Take note to measure your cornstarch because you'll be needing to put half of that amount to determine how much glue your going to add.  2 parts cornstarch 1 part of glue (2:1 ratio).  Example you have one cup of cornstarch therefore you'll only need 1/2 cup of glue.

Cover the glue with cornstarch then start mixing.  I am comfortable using my hands.  You may use your mixing spoon if you want.

When the ingredients are completely combined, as shown in the photo, transfer your dough to a countertop or table where you can easily knead it until it smoothens. Brush oil on the tabletop before kneading to prevent your dough from sticking, or dust your workplace with the remaining cornstarch.

Note: If you find your dough to be too soft and sticky, continue kneading while dusting with more cornstarch until you achieve the perfect consistency that allows for easy molding into your desired shape.  If it is too hard and cracking, add glue or a few drops of water to soften it for easier molding.

You can color the dough with food coloring.  Add the food coloring to the dough, then knead it again until you achieve an even color.

If you wish to keep the dough for later use.  Grease the dough and keep it in a plastic seal then place it inside an air tight container to prevent it from drying. 

You may use cookie cutters to form shape.  That's what we did.  Using the rolling pin flatten your dough to the desired thickness.  Try to work as fast as you can because air can make the dough dry. Better to get a small amount of clay to work on and the rest of it is inside an airtight container.  Cut the shapes.  

Use a toothpick to make small holes if you want to make it as key chain / to be able inserting a ribbon.       

Use water to stick smaller shapes to a larger shape if you wish. Water will serve as your glue. Do this by using a paintbrush or simply dipping your finger into the water to make it a bit wet, then place the shape where you want it to be. Let them air dry overnight.

The next day, the children were excited to color them.  I noticed that the shapes turned a bit harder after letting them air dry for another day before applying color.  We used nail polish to color them, and I found that crayons worked too.  

Additional tip: If you make a large batch of clay, it  is cheaper to use carpenter's glue or wood glue.  That's what I used for this project.  I have some at home because I used it to repair our crib. One liter of that glue costs around P80.00.

That's it hope this tutorial helped you.  Happy crafting!