"For his 6th birthday, our son Kellen wanted a pirate-themed party where we would give out mystery rocks, store-bought stones with tiny treasures inside, as favors," says Danita Thomas. "Rather than buying them for the 15 guests, John suggested trying to make them. He remembered his mother making stonelike clay with used coffee grounds when he was a kid. So after some experimenting, we came up with our own surprise-filled mystery rocks that turn trash into treasure."

Check out more fun ideas from John and Danita Thomas, the Kid Concoctions Couple.

Materials

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup used coffee grounds (set them out overnight to dry)
• 1/2 cup salt

• 1/4 cup sand
• 3/4 cup water
• Small prizes, such as plastic toys, dice, and marbles

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 170 degrees. In a medium-size bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Slowly add the water, stirring until the mixture forms a dough.

2. Roll a piece of the dough into a ball roughly the size of a baseball. Use your finger to bore a hole to the center, push in a couple of small prizes, then seal the hole with more dough. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough.

3. Place the stones on a baking sheet and cook them for 40 minutes, then allow them to cool completely before giving them to the kids to break open (easy to do by hand). Makes 4 treasure-filled stones.
   
   
   
   TIP: Try hiding the treasure stones around the yard for a fun birthday party scavenger hunt.

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Find more about:

• 2-3 Hours |
• Candy Crafts / Fun with Food |
• Kitchen Crafts |
• School Age |
• Toys |
• Treasure Chests

Related Categories:

• Table Crafts |
• February 2008 |
• Food Crafts