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Help your grandchildren create keepsake gifts for Mom that will be cherished for years to come

When I was younger, I always wanted my mom to open any gift I had made her well in advance of Mother’s Day. Whether it was a plaster handprint or a card with a poem I’d written and illustrated, I just wanted her to experience my tangible expression of love. Your grandchildren are just as eager to shower their mom with love, and you can help them design a wonderful keepsake.

In addition, these crafts allow you and your grandchildren to experiment with polymer clay. Polymer clay can be baked to maintain its shape, making it the product of choice for projects you want to keep. Monitor its use carefully with toddlers, and if you have a grandchild who loves to taste, opt for non-toxic clay you create at home (see recipe below). Your project outcome may not be as polished, but your grandtoddler won’t suffer from a tummy ache, either. Also, let your grandchild have a say in the color choice for these projects.

Non-Toxic Clay

Materials:

• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 to 1 ½ cups cold water
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• Baking sheet, covered with aluminum foil

Instructions:

1. Mix together all the ingredients and knead clay.
2. Mold the clay, or roll it out and use cookie cutters to create shapes.
3. Place on foil-covered baking sheet, pricking the large areas with a fork.
4. Bake clay creations at 300 degrees for about 1 hour or until golden brown and hard.
5. Cool and paint as desired.
6. Spray with a clear sealer to protect the piece.

For Toddlers and Preschoolers:

Materials:

• Polymer clay, single block in color of choice
• Unsharpened pencil
• Cookie cutter (flower, heart, or star shape)
• Rolling pin
• Ribbon, to match clay
• Baking sheet, covered with aluminum foil

Instructions:

1. Soften the clay by working it in your hands until it’s pliable.
2. Roll out the clay with the rolling pin.
3. Press the cookie cutter into the clay.
4. Place the shaped piece on the baking sheet.
5. Poke a hole in it using the eraser end of the pencil. This hole will be for the ribbon.
6. Follow directions on the clay package for baking time.
7. Allow clay to cool and thread the ribbon through the hole, tying a knot to hold ends together.

For Grade-Schoolers:

Materials:

• Polymer clay, two colors
• Two flat rulers of equal thickness
• Cellophane tape
• Knife
• Unsharpened pencil
• Rolling pin
• Key-chain hardware
• Baking sheet, covered with aluminum foil

Instructions:

1. Soften the clay by working it in your hands until it’s pliable.
2. Place pieces of rolled tape on the back of the rulers and tape them down 1" apart on a solid surface. This will provide a uniform thickness for the clay pieces used in the project.
3. Using rolling pin, roll out each color of clay between the wood slats until it measures 1” x 2”.
4. Cut two pieces, 1” square, from each color.
5. Form a checkerboard, as shown, smoothing the places lightly with fingertips where each square joins another. Do this on the front and the back of the checkerboard square.
6. Place the checkerboard on the baking sheet.
7. With your hands, roll out a “snake” using one color of clay.
8. Roll out a second snake and twist the two snakes together.
9. Roll out the twisted snake and use a knife to cut small sections to create the letters I, U, and the heart shape.
10. To create the heart, pinch a length of twisted snake approximately in the center and join the two bottom ends together.
11. Press the letters and the heart shape into the checkerboard, as shown.
12. Poke a hole in it using the eraser end of the pencil. This hole will be for the key chain.
13. Follow directions on the clay package for baking time.
14. Allow the clay to cool and put the key chain through the hole.

For Older Grandchildren:

Materials:

• Polymer clay, two colors
• Two flat rulers of equal size
• Cellophane tape
• Knife
• Rolling pin
• Baking sheet, covered with aluminum foil

Instructions:

1. Determine the color scheme prior to working with the clay.
2. Place pieces of rolled tape on the back of the rulers and tape them down 2" apart on a solid surface. This will provide a uniform thickness for the clay pieces used in the project.
3. Use the rolling pin to roll out the basket bottom and sides with the following measurements: One clay rectangle for the bottom of the basket 1 ½” x 2”, two long clay sides 1 1/4” x 2” and two short clay sides 1 1/4” x 1 ½”. Cut off any excess clay with knife.
4. Assemble the basket, starting with the bottom. Add the first short side on the outside edge of the basket bottom.
5. Continue to add the sides to the box. When the box is completed, press all the sides into one another so they are snug, and then turn the box over and smooth bottom edges together lightly with finger tips.
6. The handle and the side accents are clay “snakes” created from twisted coils of clay. (Refer to the previous instructions for how to create a twisted coil.)
7. Create a twisted coil of clay and form a handle, securing it by pressing and smoothing the opposite ends on the inside of the box, as shown.
8. Create more twisted clay to make four narrower coils.
9. Place each of the four narrower coils as adornments to the corner edges of the box.
10. Place the box on the baking sheet.
11. Follow directions on the clay package for baking time. This piece may require a bit longer to bake, as it is larger than the other two. Our piece baked for 20 minutes.

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