Homemade Beads: 3 Ways (continued)

What You Do:

1. Combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix a little bit of tempura paint powder into the warm water and add it a little bit at a time to the dry mix, until it forms a sticky dough. The consistency should be similar to clay.
2. Roll the dough into small balls (these will be your beads) and poke a hole into each one with a pencil, knitting needle, or toothpick. Make sure to make the hole big enough for yarn or string to pass through.
3. Put the clay beads on a covered cookie sheet and allow them to dry outside on a sunny day. Depending on the weather, this can take up to a week. (NOTE: If you’d rather not go through the work of dividing the dough into multiple bowls for coloring, you can make this recipe with plain water, without the tempura powder, and allow your child to color the beads by hand once they’re dry, using ready-made paint.)
4. When the clay is dry, it’s ready for beading. Cut a piece of yarn into the appropriate length for your child’s necklace or bracelet, wrap a piece of masking tape around one end to make stringing easier, knot the other end, and set them to work!

Paper Beads

What You Need:

• several colors of construction paper
• a pencil or knitting needle
• glue
• scissors
• yarn
• masking tape

What You Do:

1. Cut the paper into strips (5 inches long and ½ inch wide). Roll each strip of paper around a pencil or knitting needle. Once you’ve formed the shape, slide the paper out and put a drop of glue on the end to hold the paper in place. Press firmly until the glue dries. Repeat using at least two colors.
2. Once the beads are dry, they’re ready to use. Cut a piece of yarn into the appropriate length for your child’s necklace or bracelet, wrap a piece of masking tape around one end to make stringing easier, knot the other end, and set them to work!