The Mom I Want to Be

• 2 tsp. borax (available in laundry aisle at your grocery store)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white glue such as Elmers (“If you have access to a chemical supply house, try a 4% solution of polyvinyl alcohol instead of glue for a less rubbery polymer. It will be more transparent & show off color better.”)
• 1/4 cup water
• food coloring (otherwise it will look like cottage cheese)
• an air-tight plastic bag (for mixing and storage)
• 5/3 cups of polystyrene beads [Floamâ„¢ is made with polystyrene (aka Styrofoamâ„¢) beads ranging in size from about 1 mm to 1/8 inch in diameter. You can make an approximation of the beads at home by grating polystyrene cups, packing material etc. or by purchasing beads in multiple sizes such as: Micro-beads (about 1 mm in diameter), which we found at a Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts store. We had to call several stores before finding one that sold them. They can be ordered from Roseann’s Dolls or 1/8″ beads, sometimes called “milk bottle filler” or “bean bag filler”, which you can buy at Milkbottlefill.com.]

Dissolve 2 tsp. borax completely in 1/2 cup (4 oz.) water. Set aside. In a separate bowl mix 1/4 cup (2 oz.) white glue and 1/4 cup (2 oz.) water. Optionally add food coloring. Pour the glue solution into the air-tight bag. Then add 3 tbsp. (9 tsp.) of the borax/water solution to the glue solution. Do not mix them yet. You will have some borax/water solution left for another batch. Add the polystyrene beads. Seal bag and knead by hand until thoroughly mixed. Let stand about 15 minutes, and then knead a few minutes more.  This should produce a hard clay well suited for sculpting; for a more malleable clay, use fewer beads and optionally less of the borax solution.