Homemade clays are a lot of fun to make with young kids. Aside from being less expensive than store-bought varieties, these concoctions are often easier for little hands to manipulate. And since the ingredients, mostly common kitchen staples, take minutes to mix up, that means a nearly instant project for your kids and one less trip to the art store for you. Basic Play Clay is one of my favorite recipes--and a staple in many kindergarten classrooms. It can be used over and over and lasts for weeks. A slightly less smooth, but even simpler recipe is the classic No-cook Dough. Whichever recipe you choose, here are a few tips for working with it:

• If the dough gets dry, revitalize it with a few drops of water. If it's too sticky, knead in more flour.
• As you work, cover any extra clay with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
• To join two pieces of clay, dab a drop of water on the surfaces to be joined, then press them together. If the pieces come apart when dry, reattach them with white glue.
• For extra fun, mix a few spoonfuls of glitter into your dough and make sparkly sculptures.
• For making patterns in the clay, let your child experiment with a few tools, such as cookie cutters, drinking straws, an old garlic press, forks, combs, coins, shells or buttons.
• For easier clean-up, have your child work with her clay on taped-down wax paper, a plastic tablecloth or a plastic cutting board.