Hands On Crafts for Kids

by Julie McGuffee

Citrus fruits are a major part of the South’s economy, especially Florida. The Spanish explorers brought the first plants. Today citrus plants such as oranges and grapefruits are the most important group of all tropical and sub-tropical plants.

You will need:

Glass votive candle holder
2oz. Pkg. oven bake clay - yellow, white
Plastic knife
Wax paper
Rolling pin
Masking tape

Instructions:

1. Knead yellow clay until soft and smooth. Roll a small piece into a rope about ¼” in diameter and about 2” long. Make five ropes.

2. Knead white clay until soft and smooth. Divide into five pieces to make it easier to work with. Place each piece between two pieces of wax paper then roll out until it is at least 1” wide and as thin as possible, about 1/16”.

3. Place the yellow rope on the piece of white clay at the center. Starting with edge of the white clay towards you, carefully lift and lay over the yellow rope. Trim away excess white clay at each end as close to the yellow rope as possible. Press edges together so that it is firmly wrapped around the yellow. Make five ropes in this manner.

4. Place ropes together to form a bundle. Trim excess clay from each end. Roll a ball of yellow clay into an oval that is large enough and long enough to wrap around the outside of the ropes. Yellow clay should be less than 1/8” thick. Wrap the yellow clay around the bundle of white ropes.

5. Roll this newly formed rope until it’s approximately ½” in diameter to stretch it out. Place on wax paper in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Remove and slice into thin pieces.

6. Press the slices onto the glass votive candle holder until completely covered.

7. Bake clay covered votive on an oven proof glass surface at 275°F for 15 minutes per ¼” thickness, with good ventilation. DO NOT USE A MICROWAVE OVEN. Avoid over baking. Let cool.

Polyform® Sculpey® lll Polymer Clay