Crafting with Clay Charms

 It's the end of summer and my 8 year old daughter is starting to get a bit bored during the day. All she is doing is sitting in front of the television. "I'm bored and I don't know what to do." She doesn't want to do anything I suggest so finally I say..."That's it! Let's go out!" 

We head to our favourite store where she'll surely find something she can entertain herself with. Masterminds. Like always she takes her time checking out everything from Lego to stuffed animals, stops at the trains and checks out the science experiment stuff. Eventually she ends up in the craft section. She took a few minutes to look over some options but then one book caught her eye. Clay Charms by Klutz. 

Looking at the cover you can see that this is one of those crafts where you can follow it step by step or if you're really creative you can basically make anything you can think of. It comes with everything you need. The clay, tools, glaze, charm hooks etc.. and you actually get lots of everything. 

My daughter opened it the second we came home and read through the instructions which were very easy for her to understand. At the start of each project there is a box that has a picture of how much clay you need for each colour to make your creation. You roll the clay in your hands to match the size shown in the picture. Makes it very easy for kids to follow. 

There are pictures for step by step instructions on how to make each creation and each project only involves 4 steps: making a ball, rolling, flattening, and shaping. I really couldn't believe the things my daughter made and without any of my help. The only time I had to get my butt off the couch was when we needed to pop them in the oven. 20 min at 250 degrees on a baking sheet with parchment paper. We let them cool for about 10 minutes and then she added some smiley faces with a permanent marker. 

The final touch is the glaze. It's like the top coat of nail polish. Just seems to add the finishing touch. I was pleasantly surprised at the creations she made and the possibilities of what you can make are truly up to your imagination. You can add them onto bracelets, earrings, necklaces or trade them. Whatever you want! Her cousin saw her charms and is now insisting on her own book. 

This would make an amazing birthday or Christmas gift or maybe just for a rainy day. So if you are looking for something super fun and super easy with MINIMAL parental supervision, then Clay Charms is your answer!