Taking a beach vacation this summer? Don’t forget to collect some shells and sand for this DIY Sand Clay Craft idea. You start by turning sand into clay using a simple recipe, and then the kids can shape it and decorate it with shells. You can make handprint molds, write in the sand, or even make shapes. The objects they make will bake for an hour and become hard and sturdy. Once they’re finished, you’ll have keepsakes for displaying on a shelf or gifting to grandparents.
- 2 cups sand (real or fake)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup warm water
- Shells for decorating
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spray lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Step 2: Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a large spoon or spatula until doughy. If it gets too difficult to mix, pull the ingredients onto a piece of parchment and work the dough with your hands. It should resemble play dough. Add more water or flour as needed to reach any easy molding consistency.
Step 3: Split the dough into multiple pieces as desired (perhaps one piece per kid) and press and shape on the prepared baking sheet. (Don’t move the creation before it’s baked or it may break.)
Step 4: Pat the dough down to no more than an inch thick and cut away pieces as needed; you can even use cookie cutters! Press hands into the dough, write with a stick, or press shells into it before baking.
Step 5: Move the baking sheet to the preheated oven and bake for about an hour. Once sand is very hard to the touch, remove and allow to cool at room temperature before carefully peeling from the sheet.
Then, display your kid’s creation on a shelf or package it up for a nice gift for family members!
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