Salt Clay Porcupines

This morning we made salt clay porcupines.  I got the idea from The Little Hands Art Book by Judy Press.  We mixed up the salt clay (recipe below), and each of the kids formed it into an elongated ball (like a potato).  I broke popcicle sticks in half to stick in the bottom for feet.  They poked broken pieces of spaghetti in the top for the quills, and used a marker for the face.  The 4 yo and 5 yo did pretty well.  My 2 yo decided soon to destroy hers, but she had fun, too!

 

 

Recipe for Self-Hardening Salt Clay:

 

1 1/2 cups salt

 

4 cups flour

 

1 1/2 cups water

 

1 teaspoon alum (as a preservative if clay is not baked, found with the spices in grocery store)

 

1)  Mix the dry ingredients together in a plastic bowl; then add water gradually.

 

2)  When dough forms a ball around the spoon, knead the dough well, adding water if it is too crumbly.

 

3)  This clay can also be baked.  Set the oven to 300 degrees F. and bake small shapes for 30-40 minutes or until hard.