Baked Cotton Balls

 

Yes, you can BAKE cotton balls, and they are awesome!

Another idea from MaryAnn Kohl's book "Art with Anything". I thought this was just such a cool idea and so easy to whip up in a few minutes. These are cotton balls covered with a flour/water mixture and baked in the oven! They come out looking like rocks but are in fact "light as a cotton ball!"

My mom said they look like "dinosaur poop" so we've called them that too.

what you need

1 cup flour

1 cup water

cotton balls

food coloring (optional)

what you do

1. combine and mix the flour and water

I added a little extra water because it was pretty thick

2. Pour mixture into separate bowls (if you're going to make different colors)

3. Add food coloring OR use as is. (you can paint them after they are baked)

4. Dip your cotton balls into the mixture.

Fully coat them and then place on a greased cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 45 minutes-an hour at 300 degrees

TADA!

you can also make them touch on the cookie sheet and they'll bake together to form whatever shape you arranged them in! I experimented with this myself.

It's  lots of fun to break them open after they are baked because they have that hard shell so they CRUNCH but they are still all cottony soft inside!

you don't actually NEED a hammer to break them. You can step on them and break them. But since we have a soft head hammer I thought he'd have fun doing it this way.

oooo whats in there?

 

If you liked this activity, you may also enjoy...

Playdough Filled Balloons

Nature Hammering

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Colored Rice and Noodles

Colored rice can be used in all sorts of craft and sensory play activities. Its also fun to color noodles because there are so many different fun shapes and sizes! It makes a great sensory bin material, which is how I used it when it was finished. 
I have a few crafty projects in mind for it after L mixes all the colors.

Its super easy to do!

What you Need

rubbing alcohol or vinegar

uncooked white rice and/or  a variety of noodles

food coloring 

plastic baggies or just a bowl
*essential oils or extracts for scent

Directions

1. Pour 2 tsp of alcohol into a bowl or the plastic baggie

-If you use a bowl use a metal bowl so it wont stain

-I used a bowl and not the baggie so I could experiement with the colors easier

2. Add your color to the alcohol (8-10 drops for very bright colors)

-Experiment with lots of different colors!

3. Pour 2 cups of rice or noodles into a baggie or bowl and then add your color mix. If your adding an essential oil or extract for scent, add it now as well.

-I don't recommend mixing rice and noodles together because its hard to get the color even

4. Make sure its sealed tightly and then shake, and manipulate the rice and color until all the rice is completely saturated.

6. Then lay the rice out on a cookie sheet to dry. Drying time will vary

-I put down wax paper over my pan first

-I set the cookie sheets outside for faster drying (1 hour)

When its dry your free to play! 
Store in sealed container or baggies.
Rice will be a bit dusty and you'll notice colored dust on your hands but it rubs and washed right off.

L's Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin
So pretty! I hardly wanted to let him play with it! haha

He loved funneling the rice

Put a plastic table cloth underneath for easy cleanup and less waste!

aaaand just another rainbow pic. 

I had to take lots because I knew it would stay that way for about 1 second after L started on it!

For more colored rice play, click on the photo's below

Follow Play Create Explore on Pinterest!

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Ocean Sensory Bin

Sensory bins are a cheap way to keep your children VERY entertained and develop fine motor skills, as well as experience different textures. Your sensory bin can be as simple as a shallow dishpan, or one of those classroom sand and water tables. Since we are at home, I have found that using a plastic storage bin with a plastic table cloth under it for easy cleanup is the best way to go! I have containers of all sizes used for different sensory bins. 

My first one was an

OCEAN SENSORY BIN
which was inspired by THIS OCEAN BIN I found at Pink and Green Mama

which "L" completely loves!

Everything for this bin was found at Walmart but you can try your local pet store as well. I got the sea shells and colored glass rocks at the dollar store.

*Plastic storage bin

*Aquarium rocks

*Aquarium plants

*Glass colored rocks

*Sea shell

*Ocean animal toys

L'S OCEAN SENSORY BIN

Before water was added

He's digging for treasure. I put a few pennies into the ocean so he could search for treasure :)

We had many Nemo adventures in our little ocean

We played well into the evening, and after we came inside I turned on the movie "Finding Nemo." He seemed to watch it more intently than the first time he saw it. Notice what he's holding?....

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