Easy Crafts For Kids

These are the things you will need to make your magic crystal garden.

1. Pieces of any of the following:damp sponge, soft coal,porous brick cement any one of these will work
2. A shallow glass or plastic bowl or even a foil pie pan
   
3. salt
4. Mrs.Stewart's bluing (MSB )found in the laundry section in the stores
5. water

6. ammonia

Day 1: Place your pieces of porous material in your container then sprinkle 2 TBS. salt,  2 TBS bluing,  2TBS. water,  2TBS.ammonia. On your porous materials.

Day 2: Add 2 more TBS. salt,  2 TBS.bluing,  2 TBS. water,  2TBS,ammonia

Day 3 Add 2TBS.salt,  2 TBS. bluing,   2 TBS. water, and 2 TBS.  ammonia.  Avoid pouting on crystal growth

Repeat Day 3: As need for color add drops of food coloring or ink onto each piece .

A free circulation of air is necessary to keep growing add more bluing , salt water, and ammonia from time to time and they will keep blooming forever.

FYI : These were called coal flowers back in the late 1800's yearly 1900's, It is a historic craft that the coal mining families used to make. They had little money for toy's or decorations.They some times used them at Christmas because they resembled snowflakes.

1 cup white Elmer's Glue 1/2 cup cornstartch 1/2 cup salt warm water

Mix dry ingredients together, slowly add warm mix water until mix can be mixed into a ball leaving the sides of the bowl clean. Knead dough, roll homemade clay into balls for beads, pierce each ball with a toothpick, for the hole to thread onto a string.Air dry ,paint to your taste, then string .

1 12 inch balloon 1 ball cotton crotchet thread fabric stiffener or white school glue

Blow your balloon to the size you want your egg / ornament. There are two different ways of putting on your cotton thread and two different ways to stiffen the cotton thread.

1. Take the fabric stiffener or white glue (mixed with a small amount of water ) and put into a cereal bow. Slowly run your cotton thread threw,  I then start wrapping it around the balloon, It will be a little bit hard at first, but the more you wrap the easier it gets. Keep doing this until your balloon is covered. You will want to leave some very small spaces. Now take a coat hanger and using the knot in the balloon clip on let dry completele, or carefully set in a bowl making sure not to get a flat spot.

2. Take your cotton thread and tie the end piece to the knot in your balloon, know start carefully wrapping the balloon, keep wrapping until the balloon is covered , you want to leave some very small spaces. Now using fabric stiffener or white glue (mixed with a small amount of water) saturate the the thread with a sponge paint brush, you want a thick complete coverage It'll get into the holes that's okay. Now using a coat hanger, hang by the knot in the balloon, or carefully set into a bowl being not to get a flat spot.

When completely dry pop your balloon, cut out a oval the size you want in the front of your egg, remove the pieces of balloon, take, white glue, a glue gun (Ask Mom to help ) put lace around the opening. Decorate any way you

Make them small and leave them whole decorate for Christmas.

FYI: I've made these and used method 1 personally for me it's a lot easier. I tried the other way with out much luck.

2 Tablespoons Shortening 1 tablespoon fruit flavored powdereddrink mix 1 35 MM. film container

Mix shortening and flavored drink mix in a small microwave safe container. Place in microwave on high for 30 seconds or until mixture becomes a liquid. Pour mixture into film container or other air tight container. Place in fridge for 20-30 minutes or until firm.