# Homemade Cornstarch Clay Ornaments > Cook cornstarch, baking soda and water into a soft white clay for squishing and cutting out spring shapes. Let the shapes dry for a day, then paint them, add glitter and string them into a garland. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-cornstarch-clay/ - Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium - Time: prep 30 min, activity 45 min - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids - Skills: fine-motor, sensory-exploration, creativity, painting - Cautions: corn, ingestion-risk ## Materials (one batch) - 1 cup Cornstarch - 2 cup Baking soda - 1.25 cup Water (household) - 1 piece Saucepan (household) - 1 piece Spoon for stirring (household) - Easter/spring cookie cutters - Acrylic paints - 1 piece Paintbrushes - Glitter (optional) - String (optional) (household) ## Safety - Adult does the stovetop cooking. Let the clay cool before kneading it or handing it to kids. - Not edible. The author was glad both her kids were past the mouthing stage, since they played with the clay independently. Supervise younger children closely. - Acrylic paint and glitter are not for mouthing and can stain clothes. Supervise and wash hands after. ## Before you start - Adult cooks the clay on the stovetop and lets it cool before the kids arrive. ## Steps 1. Adult: put 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda and 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan. 2. Adult: stir over medium heat until it looks like mashed potatoes, then turn off the heat. 3. Let the clay cool down, then knead it until it's ready for play. 4. Squish, squash, stretch and create whatever you like. 5. Flatten the clay and cut out spring shapes with cookie cutters. 6. Poke a hole near the top of each shape for hanging. 7. Set the shapes out to dry for a whole day. 8. Paint the dry shapes with acrylic paints. 9. Add lots of glitter. 10. String the ornaments onto a string to make a garland. ## Tips - It was supposed to be a busy sensory activity, but it turned into so much more. The kids settled down with cutting out shapes once they had the new Easter/spring cookie cutters. - Squishing, stretching and cutting out shapes is a great fine motor exercise. - Plan it over two days: day 1 is sensory play, and day 2, once the clay has dried (it took a whole day), is painting day. - As a kid anything white begs to be painted! The ornaments turned out really pretty with lots of glitter. - Want them to dry quicker? You can bake them. ## FAQ **Can you bake them to dry quicker?** Yes, the author says you can. The post gives no oven temperature or baking time. ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013) This sensory play was supposed to be a busy play sensory activity for my kids. But it turned into so much more. I made a small batch of cornstarch clay/cornstarch playdough ( recipe follows) and handed it over to them and asked them to go to town squishing, squashing, cutting, creating whatever. It is nice to have both the kids past the mouthing stage so I don't have to worry about them eating stuff during the times they are playing independently. Homemade cornstarch clay recipe - 1 cup cornstarch - 2 cups baking soda - 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups of water Mix cornstarch, baking soda and water in a saucepan on medium heat and start stirring. Once you reach a mashed potato consistency turn off the heat. Wait for it cool down and knead the clay. Your homemade clay is ready for play.The kids had too much fun with this new type of clay and finally started settling down with cutting out shapes using the new Easter/Spring cookie cutters. We made a whole bunch of Spring themed little guys. Not only was it fun but it was a great fine motor exercise for them, squishing, stretching and cutting out shapes. We set out creations for a day to dry. As a kid anything white begs to be painted! Day 1 was sensory play and once our homemade clay dried ( took a whole day) Day 2 was a painting kind of day. We used acrylic paints. The ornaments turned out really pretty with lots of glitter. We had a very patriotic butterfly A hopping bunny Of course flowers for spring with copious amounts of glitter. All our cornstarch clay ornaments here. We strung them through a string and made a fun garland for our mantle. Thanks for reading Please take a moment to comment Some of our past Spring/Easter Posts. 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