Have you ever gone camping and after the dishes are done you have no idea whose cutlery it all is? It is very hard to label cutlery that lasts though all that washing, so here is another great idea that I borrowed from my friend, Guide leader Tamara: Clay Cutlery
What you need (for 20 girls):
-20 knives, 20 forks, and 20 spoons – I found mine at Walmart, there were packs of 4 for $1, so I spent $15 on this (75 cents per girl). You could also ask parents to bring randoms from home that they don’t need anymore.
-7 packages of different colours of modelling clay to bake such as Sculpey or Fimo – I found mine at Michaels which were $3.49 a package, but if you wait until they are on sale, or use 40% off coupons, they can be much cheaper! (depending on your price can be 75 cents to $1.25 per girl)
Total cost of craft = $1.50 to $2 per girl
Total time for craft = 5 minutes prep, 15 to 30 minutes with the girls, 15 minutes to bake
1. Cut your clay into small pieces. You should be able to get at least 12 pieces per package. A little goes a long way! We allowed the girls to choose 2 pieces of different colours per utensil.
2. Warm the clay up in your hands. Once it is warm enough, you should be able to mold it around the bottom of your utensil and make unique designs. I prefer the Sculpey brand to use with the Sparks, as it warmed up quickly in their hands (I found Femo takes longer to warm up).
3. Place cutlery on a cookie sheet. Bake according to directions. Mine said 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Don’t have an oven at your meeting place? Take scraps of paper with girls names and elastic band their utensils and names together and bake when you get home.
4. Let cool and with a permanent marker, on the back of each utensil, write the girls initials. Most of my girls used pink and purple clay so they all look very similar.
5. Enjoy your new cutlery at your next sleepover or camp!
Watch for a post within the next couple of weeks as my co-Guider Holly found a great craft on Pinterest for plates, mugs, and bowls! Our girls are going to have great sets of dishes for camping!
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