Now that summer time has stated farewell, we had been anxious to check out this enjoyable, sensory craft challenge that we will really use to brighten the backyard because it slips into autumn mode.
For this challenge we used air dry clay – however should you needed to maintain your mosaics inside out of the weather, you might use salt dough as an alternative. (Discover my simple salt dough recipe right here.) We selected to make use of air dry clay as a result of we needed the top end result to be fairly stable, since we deliberate on placing them exterior within the backyard for a bit.
We additionally used a wide range of previous pantry gadgets, together with some previous beans from the sensory bin, a few tablespoons of lentils, some very previous popcorn kernels and a bit of little bit of barley I discovered on the backside of the pantry drawer. For those who’d somewhat not use pantry gadgets, be happy to forage for seeds exterior (it’s the proper time of yr for it!) and even expired backyard seeds.
Air Dry Clay Seed Mosaics
You’ll want:
- White Air Dry Clay (we used Crayola model)
- Beans and seeds
- Rolling pin
- Biscuit cutter or cookie cutter (you may also use a bowl/plate as a template)
- Knife or chopping instrument
- Acrylic Sealer Spray
First, roll out the clay with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch. You’ll need it somewhat thick so it doesn’t break simply. Reduce out a circle (or one other enjoyable form – we did butterflies and leaves!) and run your finger across the edges to easy it out a bit. For those who don’t have a cookie cutter, you may place a bowl or plate on the clay and hint across the fringe of it along with your knife.
We had been in a position to make numerous various things with only a circle form – a ladybug, flower, snail, spider, and many others. You don’t want fancy cookie cutters!
After you have your form minimize out, push beans and seeds down into the clay – ensure they’re pushed securely down in there or they’ll simply come out when the clay dries. For those who’re doing this with youngsters, ensure they push the seeds down deep sufficient.
Let the clay dry for 3-4 days (based on the directions included along with your air dry clay) in a dry place (i.e. not exterior in a moist surroundings!)
As soon as they’re absolutely dry, carry them exterior and spray them with an acrylic sealer. We used this one.
A number of ideas: DON’T try to spray them inside – the fumes are very robust! You don’t need that scent lingering in your home or storage, belief me. Additionally – don’t flip them over or mess with them an excessive amount of till you spray them with the sealer, in any other case the seeds could fall out or transfer round. And don’t maintain the sealant spray too near your mosaics or the drive of the spray could knock off a few of your seeds.
We positioned ours on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to dry, so we might carry the entire tray exterior for the ultimate step. Trying again, it will have been finest to position them on paper plates so I didn’t have to fret concerning the sealer getting on my cookie sheet. 🙂
Enable the sealant to dry, then fastidiously flip them over and seal the underside and the entire edges. Maintain repeating with the sealant till they’re utterly and absolutely coated in acrylic sealer.
For those who’re planning on retaining these inside, away from moisture and critters, be happy to only use one coat of sealant.
Now take pleasure in your stunning seed mosaics!
