Pour the baking soda, cornstarch, and water in a pot.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring until it looks like mashed potatoes.
Let the clay cool, then divide it into four pieces.
Add food coloring and knead until smooth.
Turn your clay into amazing shapes and fun things. Add wiggle eyes, feathers, and other craft supplies to make cute critters!
Leave your art in a sunny place to dry.
Youngest kids: Count how many drops of food coloring you add to each piece of dough. How many drops of coloring did you use for one piece? How many drops of food coloring did you use all together? How many cups total of baking soda, cornstarch, and water did you use? If a friend came over to play and you wanted to double the clay, how many cups total would go in the pot?
Younger kids: Many food coloring boxes have four colors: red, yellow, green, and blue. If you make each piece of dough one color, you have four colors. How would you make a new color? What color clay would you get if you mixed red and blue clay?
Older kids: Clay can be molded into shapes that are useful as well as fun. What useful shapes could you make? Are there shapes that you could make, such as bowls, that would be useful to other people? Think about using some of your clay to make a small gift for a friend or family member.
Make your own clay with four simple ingredients. It’s that easy—and that fun! Everything you need is already in your kitchen. Kids can add as much food coloring as they want to make light or bold colors, or create their own hues.