Making Beads with Kids

Having kids put premade beads together can be fun, but having the children make their own is much more fun. There are many different recipes to make your own beads, some are more challenging than others but all can be fun. Here is a simple recipe to make air-dry bead clay. You take 2 cups of baking soda, with 1 cup of cornstarch, and 1 1/4 cups of cold water. After mixing the baking soda and cornstarch together in a saucepan, stir in the water and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly. After a couple of minutes the clay will become the texture of mashed potatoes, at this point it’s done! Remove the clay and put it on a cool plate, cover with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out.

When the clay is cool form it into balls, you can make the beads as big as you would like. Poke holes with a toothpick and if the beads aren’t as smooth as you would like rub them with a little water. When you are done making beads lay them on waxed paper or foil to let them dry. After about a day or two, roll the beads around so that they will dry evenly.

After the beads are dry you can paint them with acrylic paints, then you will need to spray them with acrylic sealer. When they are dry again you can string them are wear them.
This is just one simple recipe, it may take a few days to have a finished project but in the end it will be worth it! If you are not happy with this recipe you can always look for more and you will find one that you do like.