More on Handprints

My hanging method

Cole's unpainted print

Robbie's completed 6 month prints

Sand Dough Recipe
3 cups of sand
1 ½ c cornstarch
3 tsp alum
2 ¼ cup hot water
Food coloring (optional)

Mix sand, cornstarch, and alum in saucepan. Add hot water and food coloring. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and knead until smooth.

If you don't use food coloring, the dough will be a sandy gray color like my photos above.

The directions I found with this recipe just say to let it air dry, but I found that the finished product -a church project- crumbled easily. I am guessing that it can be baked on a board as in the kits I have purchased (in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes)for a more stone-like end product, but I have not verified that.

A couple of other notes- alum can be found in the baking aisle with spices and the concoction does have an odor during the cooking part, but it does go away.