CRAFTS YOU CAN DO AT HOME WITH THE KIDS

These days, it’s a little more difficult to find something to keep my kids busy while we’re all trying to stay safe indoors. I’ve put together a list of crafts that are fun to make at home and even more fun to play with afterward.

BOUNCY BALLS

What you’ll need:

1. Borax (found in the laundry section in most stores)

2. Warm water

3. Cornstarch

4. White glue

5. Food coloring

Directions:

1. Dissolve 1 Tbsp of borax in ½ cup of warm water and set aside.

2. Stir together 1 Tbsp of white glue and ½ Tbsp of cornstarch until combined, then mix in a few drops of food coloring.

3. Pour the glue mixture into the water, after about 30 seconds it will start to harden, pull it out of the water, squish it up and begin rolling it between your hands to form a ball.

4. It will set as you work with it, if it is too sticky, plop it back in the water for a few seconds then start rolling again.

These balls really do bounce! But as they sit, they can flatten—just roll them up again to get them back in shape!

SLIME

To make fluffy slime, you’ll need:

1. White glue

2. Shaving cream

3. Contact solution (must contain boric acid)

4. Food coloring.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl add 1 cup of white glue and food coloring, mix well then start adding up to 3 cups of shaving cream, it should be thick and puffy.

2. Next, slowly add 5 Tbsp of contact solution, this acts as your “slime activator” so the amount you use may depend on the shaving cream you used. Mix everything with a spatula and adjust the recipe as needed.

3. Once it is no longer sticky, start kneading the slime for about 3 minutes before you add more ingredients.

4. When the slime has been thoroughly kneaded and adjusted, give it to the kids in a clean, wide-open area that you don't mind getting a little messy.

5. If fluffy slime isn’t your style, I also found a recipe for regular slime, for this recipe you’ll need:

6. Baking soda, white glue, contact solutions (must contain boric acid) glitter and food coloring

7. Mix 9oz of white glue, 1 tbsp of baking soda, and glitter (optional). Next, slowly add 2 tbsp of contact solution while stirring the mixture. If it looks runny, add a little extra contact solution.

8. Once the mixture starts to form into a ball, it’s set and ready to be played with.

PLAYDOUGH

What you need:

1. Food coloring

2. Cornstarch

3. Shaving cream.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of shaving cream with 2 cups of cornstarch.

2. Stir, then knead it with your hands to mix in all the cornstarch. If the dough feels too sticky add more cornstarch, if it feels like it’s crumbling, add more shaving cream.

3. Divide the dough into six parts and mix each with color using a fork.

4. Once the color is mostly mixed in, add a few pinches of cornstarch and knead the dough until the color is fully combined.

5. You can store this playdough in an airtight container to keep it from drying out and crumbling so it can be played with over and over again.

I’d love to see how these work out for you, tag me @ShopLikeAMotha on Instagram and Facebook when you share you at home crafts.