# Homemade Rocks and Gems
> Mix colored rock salt into white glue to make sparkly, chunky play gems that dry in about 2 days. Kids practice measuring, pouring and mixing, then sort the gems by color, learn about real gemstones or use them as pretend treasure.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/play-recipe-homemade-rocks-gems/
- Ages: 4–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 25 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, measuring, pouring, fine-motor, color-sorting, earth-science, pretend-play
- Cautions: food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 cup Rock salt (ice cream salt)
- Liquid watercolors or food colors
- 0.25 cup White glue
- 1 piece Sealable plastic baggies (household)
- 1 piece Cookie tray (household)
- 1 piece Mixing bowl (household)
- 1 piece Measuring cups (1 cup and 1/4 cup) (household)
- 1 piece Spoon (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Clean, dry, flat container or tray (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of liquid watercolors: Food coloring (The post says either works.)

## Safety
- Not taste-safe. Rock salt and glue are not for eating, and swallowing a lot of salt is dangerous for young children and pets. Supervise closely and skip this with kids who still mouth things.
- Finished gems are small and can be a choking hazard for young children.
- Salt can sting eyes and small cuts. Wash hands after mixing.
- Liquid watercolors and food colors can stain hands, clothes and surfaces.
- Once dry the gems are pretty sturdy, but not sturdy enough to be thrown around like real stones.

## Before you start
- Color the rock salt: put 1 cup of salt per color in a sealed baggie with a few squirts of liquid watercolor or food color, and shake.
- Spread the colored salt on a cookie tray and let it dry thoroughly, overnight.
- Plan a spot where the finished gems can sit undisturbed for 2 days to dry.

## Steps
1. Put 1 cup of rock salt in a plastic baggie, add a few squirts of liquid watercolor, and seal it.
2. Shake the bag to spread the color until you like it.
3. Lay the colored salt on a cookie tray and let it dry overnight.
4. Measure 1/4 cup of white glue into a bowl.
5. Add the 1 cup of colored salt to the glue little by little. Watch the glue turn gunky.
6. Keep mixing with your hands or a spoon until all the glue is balled up with the salt.
7. Shape the mix into gunky balls or gem shapes and set them on a clean, dry, flat container.
8. Let the gems dry for 2 days.
9. Sort the dry gems by color and talk about real gems and how they are formed.
10. Use the gems as treasures in pretend play.

## Tips
- After you color your rock salt, set it out to dry. I let them dry overnight.
- As soon as the salt hits the glue the glue turns gunky. Keep mixing until all the glue is balled up with the salt.
- The glue and salt mix to create an instant gem/jewel effect that only enhances when they dry.
- It takes 2 days to dry, so plan ahead if you need the gems for a lesson or party.
- Be astounded with the beauty of it all and take multiple pictures!
- Mixing the glue with the colored salt is a wonderful process in itself. Kids can practice measuring, pouring and mixing.
- Two readers found the color came off the salt into the glue and the glue just balled up. One had used food coloring and Elmer's glue after drying the salt overnight. Make sure the salt is completely dry before mixing. (from readers)

## FAQ
**Why did the color come off the salt when I mixed in the glue?** The author asked whether the colored rock salt had dried thoroughly first. Another reader who dried it overnight still had the color bleed, and no fix was posted. The post also says you can color the glue instead of the salt.
**How long do the gems take to dry?** About 2 days.
**Can I use food coloring instead of liquid watercolors?** Yes. The post says liquid watercolors or food colors both work.
**Do I have to color the salt first?** No. You can color the glue and add the salt, or add all the ingredients together. The author says that works too.
**Are the dry gems sturdy?** Pretty sturdy, but not sturdy enough to be thrown around like real stones.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

Gotta love bright colors right?! We love **[liquid water colors](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042SR5R2/?tag=blmemo-20)** and they did not fail us in this sensory activity. We made sparkly, shiny rocky gems and jewels for play and learning. Any project that turns into a mixing and pouring type of **sensory activity** is always a great hit. You will need rock salt ( ice cream salt), liquid watercolors or food colors and glue for this project. { Use ice cream salt to make [**crystal play dough**](https://www.funlittles.com/crystal-playdough-recipe13136/) too} Start off with colored rock salt. {Edit: after you color your rock salt please set them out to dry. I let them dry overnight. Here is a post by Two Daloo explaining the **coloring process**}



Set out white glue



Mixing the white glue with the colored rock salt is a wonderful process in itself. The kids can practice measuring, pouring and mixing.



Either use your hands to mix



Or a spoon.



Make multi-colored gunky balls and set them to dry



Be astounded with the beauty of it all and take multiple pictures!



The glue and salt mix to create an instant gem/jewel effect that only enhances when they dry.



You can sort them by colors and talk about real gems and how they are formed.



Or the kids can use them in their pretend play as treasures.



Once the gem are dry they are pretty sturdy but not sturdy enough to be thrown around like real stones!



Yep, that's our emerald right there.





### **For all our art and [play recipes](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/play-recipe/) check out the link.**

**Measurements:**

**DIY Gems and Jewels**

This recipe is a popular one often found in many kids activities book like this one [The Everything Toddler Activities Book](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1440529787/?tag=blmemo-20).

I developed on it and made colored salt instead of adding all the ingredients together ( which works too)

To make multiple colors start off by coloring **1 cup of ice cream salt** for each color. Add cup of rock salt in a plastic baggie (sealed) and add few squirts of liquid watercolors or food colors. Start shaking the bag to spread the color. Once you are satisfied with the color, lay the colored salt on a cookie tray to dry.

You can also color the glue and add the salt.

Take **1/4 cup of glue** and add your 1 cup of colored rock salt little by little. As soon as the salt hits the glue the glue turns gunky. Keep mixing (either with your hands or a spoon) until all the glue is balled up with the salt.

Set all the glue-salt balls ( make desired shapes) on a clean dry flat container.

It takes 2 daysto dry. Once dry use them as you wish in play. Older children can study and learn more about different gem stones. We colored them accordingly ( emeralds, Jaspers, sapphires, gold etc)

**Thanks for reading**



Both the books are on SALE! ENDS 9/14/2014**