Clay Conversation Hearts

We crafted some cute little tokens of affection out of clay for Valentine's Day. We plan on passing them out to friends along with some handwritten Valentines.

To make the clay, I modified a recipe from this book:

First, combine 1 cup of cornstarch, 2 cups of baking soda, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes. Put a tablespoon of water and a few drops of food coloring into each of 3 or 4 bowls. Divide clay into smaller batches. Add each batch of clay to a bowl, and knead it until the color is evenly distributed. Cover each bowl with a damp towel until you are ready to work with the clay.

Then, roll small handfulls of clay into balls, and press them flat into circular pancake-type shapes. Then cut out your hearts with a heart cookie cutter. Gracie was a big fan of the rolling, pressing, and cutting -- perfect jobs for little toddler hands!

Next, press your messages into the clay using small alphabet stamps. This is just where my young speller, Jack, is at right now -- it was the perfect job for him!

Let your clay hearts dry overnight. You can add some color to the conversation using fine-tipped pens. (These pens worked for us.)

Nothing makes me happier than heartfelt sentiments combined with hands-on fun. I hope these will make cute little keepsakes for friends and family -- they were certainly made with love!

Speaking of love, I also LOVE these fruit sticker Valentines! What an awesome (and healthy) way to spread the sweetness!

Comments

[Account Deleted]

I love those, Jennifer! What a cute idea!

[Lise]

These are adorable! Thanks for the great idea.

[MyKidsMake]

cute cute!!!! looks like a lot of fun

[Isabelle]

They look great! Where can I find such a nice small size alphabet stamp set?

[Jennifer]

Hi! I found that little stamp set in the dollar bins at Target a few years ago, for, you guessed it, $1! I dont know if you can still find them there, but I hope so!

[tiff]

oh my goodness i wish i had seen this post sooner...i could have totally done this with my kindergartners...they would have loved it. i will keep this activity in mind for next year.

now maybe i will do this with my boys' tomorrow...as they will love it too! fabulous idea!!!!

[April]

Very cute!

I just wanted to let you know that I mentioned your book in a recent blog post, if you want to check it out:

http://apgacruz.blogspot.com/2011/02/writers-world-left-handed-writing.html

[Amie Plumley]

Love this - will have to put in my file for next year. Perfect for my kindergarten class! Thanks!

[Betsy]

Hi :) I'm new to your blog and I am already enamored by it! As a little girl I loved to write stories, poems,or just journal about anything and everything. I also loved reading and getting lost in books. Growing up, I was recognized in school often for having good writing skills or being an excellent reader ( I got that award in the second grade, and I'm still proud of it! haha)

Now, as an adult, I keep art journals and prayer journals, and I still haven't lost my love for reading. As a third grade teacher, I am faced with challenges on how to get my students to love and enjoy writing/reading [and find myself competing with their much stronger love for electronics]. I am always trying to look for fun, unique ways to get them to write. I like that your blog (and book-which I just added to my amazon wishlist!) gives me even more ideas :)

keep up the good work!
(wow, that was long. sorry!)

-Betsy

[Amy Bowers]

Hi! This is such a fun project! I did this with my kids today and the results are drying to take a party later this week. We added an essential oil blend I had on hand (orange pomander) and they smell almost exactly like the actual candy! My kids were only convinced after taking a little nibble (blech!). Thanks for the inspiration today! I linked to you on my blog - mamascout.

[TW]

This is a great project. It can be easily adapted for other holidays too (with different shaped cookie cutters and seasonal messages).

[cate]

what a clever idea! we love making that clay, and have plenty of stamps, so I'm adding this to my list!

[Jillian]

So, so cute! I wish I would have seen this last week, maybe I'll figure out a way to write on easter eggs!

[Lisa Banks]

They have them at Michaels still...for a dollar.

[Essay Writer]

Absolutely stunning work....Amazing
Thanks for great idea

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How much clay does one recipe make? I'm thinking of doing this for my daughter's kinder party--22 students.