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Have you ever needed clay for a project, but didn’t have any? Me, too. I want to do a project with my kids and realize we don’t have clay. Ugh!

Now what do I do?!

I hate buying a lot of clay because it gets expensive. It especially gets expensive with my son’s elaborate projects. So, I decided to take a look on Pinterest and find homemade clay recipes. I found recipes. A LOT!

I decided I would try 3 clay recipes and compare them. My criteria were:

• inexpensive to make
• easy to make
• ingredients that I would have around the house
• smooth clay
• easy to use
• dries well so items can be painted

Here are the clay recipes and my results.

DIY Clay Recipe #1

The first clay recipe I decided to try I found out at this site. It had a few simple ingredients, so I decided to give it a try. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup boiling water

Instructions

1. Boil the mixture until the texture resembles a soft ball.
2. Turn the dough onto wax paper and knead it.
3. It is ready to use.

It is recommended to store leftover clay wrapped in a damp cloth in an airtight container. If you want to save your creations, they can let it air dry or bake it at 200 degrees.

Review of Clay #1

I did not care for this recipe. It made a huge mess of my pan when I was boiling it. It has a gritty texture because of all the salt. It did not have a smooth consistency like clay.

I air dried the clay. It felt odd. It reminded me of when my daughter did the milk and vinegar experiment. It was kind of a plastic feel to it.

Overall, I don’t think it makes a good clay. It may be something kids might like to play with, though.

DIY Clay Recipe #2

After the last recipe, I decided to try making clay that didn’t require cooking. I found another recipe at Fantastic Fun and Learning. The site provides step-by-step directions and a link to a video with helpful tips. Here is what you need.

Ingredients

• 4 oz bottle of school glue
• 4 oz corn starch
• 2 tbsp baby oil (or substitute with vegetable oil)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (or substitute with white vinegar)

Instructions

1. Pour the glue in a microwave-safe bowl, and add the corn starch.
2. Add baby oil and lemon juice, and mix it all together.
3. Place the bowl in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.
4. Stir the mixture.
5. Put it back in the microwave for another 15 to 30 seconds.
6. When the clay is cooled, turn it out on wax paper sprinkled with corn starch.
7. Knead the clay.
8. Sprinkle corn starch throughout the clay while you knead it. Keep adding in corn starch until it is no longer sticky.
9. Now it is ready to use.

Review of Clay #2

I liked this clay. It was soft and smooth. If you used baby oil, it will smell good, too! You may have to work cornstarch through the dough a little bit so it isn’t sticky. Eventually, it is a nice texture.

I air-dried this clay, too. It dried nicely and was a smooth texture. It doesn’t look like clay, but it is a nice alternative.

My kids loved this clay! It was their favorite.

DIY Clay Recipe #3

After the last recipe that involved cooking, I was hesitant to try a different one. I decided to give it a try because I liked the ingredients. It sounded promising.

I found this recipe over at Growing a Jeweled Rose.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of baking soda
• 1 cup of corn starch
• 1 and 1/2 cups of cold water

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a pot.
2. Place the pot on the stove and heat over medium-high heat.
3. Stir the mixture constantly.
4. Keep stirring until the mixture comes together and looks like mashed potatoes.
5. Remove the pot from the stove and dump the mixture in a bowl.
6. Place a damp cloth over the top and let the clay cool.
7. When cool, turn it out onto a surface sprinkled with corn starch and knead it.
8. It is ready to use.

Review of Clay #3

This clay recipe was smooth. It was easy to sculpt with, too.

I let this recipe air dry, and I ran into problems. It cracked!

I did research. I wanted to find out why it cracked, and how to prevent it. After reading several articles and watching YouTube videos, I discovered clay with high water content will crack if it dries too quickly.

So what is the solution?

Apparently, if you place a plastic bag over the clay, it will dry slower but may not crack as easily. It is something to keep in mind when it is a cold, dry winter’s day.

Other than the cracking, it was a nice alternative to real clay. It would work well for kid’s projects.

How the Clay Met My Criteria

• Inexpensive to make: Met my expectations. Glue, baking soda, corn starch, and salt are not expensive. I buy most of these items in bulk so it is even cheaper.
• Easy to make: Clay recipe #2 and #3 were easy to make. Clay recipe #1 wasn’t hard, but it was difficult judging when to remove it from the stove.
• Ingredients that I would have around the house: All met the criteria for me.
• Smooth Clay: Clay #2 and #3 were smooth.
• Easy to use: All of them were easy to use.
• Dries well so items can be painted: This is mixed. Clay #2 met this. Clay #1 can be painted but is very bumpy and not a smooth finish. You can paint Clay #3 even with the cracks.

Final Thoughts

If you want to use one of the recipes that most resembles clay, Clay Recipe 3 is the one. It is more like clay than the other two.

I would definitely use Clay recipes 2 and 3 again. Both were easy to make and felt smooth. I will make sure to allow more time and to cover Clay #3 when it is drying. I think the weather conditions played a big part in the cracking.

On a side note, a friend of mine reminded me little ones have a tough time using real clay. Real clay needs to be worked to soften it up. This is tough for little hands. Homemade clay is a good alternative for toddlers and preschoolers that don’t have the hand strength to work with regular clay.

Homemade clay is a fun activity to make with kids. It is also nice to have some good recipes on hand for times you don’t have any in the house. I learned a lot in experimenting with different clay recipes. I hope this is helpful for when you’re looking for your own DIY clay recipes.

Do you have a different clay recipe you use? Share in the comments below.