DIY Quick and Easy Natural Crafts for Kids

There’s something special about creating something from scratch. Kids feel this too, and they have a desire to create and make things. Parents can capitalize on this desire to spend quality time with their kids and make memories that can last a lifetime.

While most parents have a deep desire to spend quality time with their kids, many of us aren’t exactly masters of do-it-yourself crafting. Luckily Davina Wellness has 3 simple crafts that parents can make with their kids. Best of all these crafts are all natural and bring the power of essential oils into the home.

Therapeutic Playdough (Time to craft: Less than 10 minutes)

Making playdough with essential oils is actually very simple, here’s what’s needed:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• Food coloring (2-4 drops, or more if deeper colors are desired)
• 10 drops Essential oils
• An 8-ounce plastic container for storage

Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, and water in a saucepan. Turn the heat up to medium-low and stir in the food coloring. Heat up the mixture until the dough starts to harden and take on a playdough consistency.

Scoop out the dough and let it cool until it’s safe to handle. Roll the dough into a ball and press a finger into the middle to make a hole. Add in the essential oils and knead the dough until the oils are all mixed in. Finally, make some cool creations!

As a bonus, while children (and adults!) play with this playdough, the positive effects of the essential oils are absorbed into their skin. Try the following oils depending on what kids need most:

Lavender for calming and comfort.

Jumpstart for a boost of energy and alertness.

Focus Pocus for calming and focusing the mind.

Earth Paint (Time to craft: Less than 5 minutes)

Natural, fresh, beautiful paint that smells great is very easy to create once the

ingredients are assembled. Here’s what’s needed to let kids unleash their creativity:

• 2 tablespoons ground herb*
• 2 tablespoons vegetable glycerin
• 1 teaspoon bentonite clay
• 3 drops essential oil

This recipe is for just 1 color. For each additional color, simply measure out the ingredients again. The directions couldn’t be easier–just mix up all the ingredients other than the essential oil. Once all the other ingredients have been mixed well, add the essential oil and mix a little bit more (it’s so easy a child could do it–hint hint!) Now it’s time to let the creativity flow for the rest of the afternoon!

*The color of the herb used will determine the color of the resulting paint. Here’s a quick chart of our suggestions for herb and essential oil combinations to create various colors:

Red: Beet Root Powder (Cinnamon)
Orange: Turmeric Powder (Wild Orange)
Light Yellow: Ground Mustard Seed (Lemon)
Light Green: Skullcap Herb (Lime)
Dark Green: Spirulina (Peppermint)
Purple: Bilberry Fruit (Lavender)
Gray: Black Walnut (Douglas Fir)
Black: Activated Charcoal Powder (Fennel)
White: Arrowroot (Spearmint)

Amber Fossil Slime (Time to craft: About 15 minutes)

This whacky homemade slime is fun and easy to make! The idea is to make slime with toy insects inside that ends up looking just like real life amber. It’s a great opportunity to combine education and entertainment. Here’s all that’s needed to make this funky slime:

• 2 teaspoons Borax detergent booster
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• Tangerine essential oil
• 1 bottle of Elmer’s clear school glue
• plastic toy insects (any toy can work, but insects are more realistic)
• 1 drop of red food coloring (or beet root powder for a natural dye)
• 3 drops of yellow food coloring (or ground mustard seed for a natural dye)
• 2 mixing bowls (a small one and a large one)
• mixing spoons

Instructions:

1. In the small bowl combine 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of Borax. Stir well then set the bowl aside.
2. In the larger bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup of water and the entire bottle of glue. Stir until well combined.
3. Add 1 drop of red food coloring and 3 drops of yellow food coloring to the glue mixture.
4. Add 2-3 drops of Tangerine essential oil. Other oils can be used to get different smells too. The resulting slime will be a yellow-orange color, so citrus oils are a good choice.
5. Pour the water/borax mixture into the colored glue mixture. The slime will start to form immediately.
6. Mix the newly forming slime up well (using hands is fine for this). Some water might be left in the bottom of the bowl–that water can be tossed out.
7. Slide the toy insects into the slime. Let the smile sit for about 5 minutes then start playing!

There are lots of fun, natural crafts for parents and kids to do together. These bonding moments are memories that kids will cherish all throughout their lives. For more fun crafts, check out Davina’s guide to making bath bombs–the bath bombs make great gifts!