Sawdust Clay

A while back, I was given a bag of sawdust.  Actually, I asked for it, was given some quizzical looks, and then I was given a bag of sawdust.  I remembered seeing a recipe in a Family Fun book for sawdust clay and wanted to try it out.  This week, we finally got around to it.

The recipe is simple enough:  1 part AP flour, 2 parts sawdust and water.

I helped a bit with the measuring since this was my first time trying out this recipe, but the kiddos did the pouring and mixing.

Eventually, we had something that looked like this.  My best estimate is that we added about 1c. of water, or a little less.

 It was a bit wet and I got nervous that it would be difficult for the kiddos to work with, so I handed out a bit more flour.

I also added a bit more sawdust, but it was pliable and roll-able and shape-able.

This guy decided to make 'haystacks', which was a great idea, because when they dried, they ended up with little sawdust bits sticking out and they really do look like haystacks!

Here's the flower my little one made, it's a bit rough around the edges, but the great thing is, once it's dried (in about 48hrs), he can sand and paint it, just like wood!  How cool is that??

So visit your local hardware store (or your garage) and ask for a bag of sawdust - just be prepared for the looks!

Click here to see the finished product!!