Winter Home Play❄️Crafting with Kids (Paper Clay)

It's hard to play outside when it's this cold, isn't it? Kids seem completely unfazed, but adults, not so much.🥶
Since the risk of catching colds or the flu is higher in winter, I tend to avoid shopping malls and children's centers on weekends.

So, where do we go instead?
We often end up at my parents' house, but since it's a good old-fashioned traditional home, it's even colder than our apartment, and we can't leave the living room. They just watch YouTube or Netflix and eat snacks as they please, so my parents' house is also a bit of a dilemma...

Thinking about how I can spend time happily at home with my kids, what I've been doing is
playing with clay!

They also enjoy playing with the 12-color clay sets sold at Daiso or Seria, but usually, all the colors end up mixed together, hardened, and excavated from every corner of the room.
(It's easy to use, so I highly recommend this too)

This time, it's about crafting with paper clay!

Paper clay is sold at Daiso and other 100-yen shops.

1. Decide on a theme for what you're making!
   The themes I actually decided on and made were
   ・Christmas ornaments
   ・Candle holders
   ・Cake-shaped candle holders
   .
   Since Christmas and family birthdays were coming up, I decided to make ornaments and candle holders to display next to the cake.
   

2. Think about what kind of design to make
   Talking about what would be nice helps boost the kids' imagination, and it's fun to see what they're thinking about! I make things with them, but when it comes time to actually start, I sometimes find it surprisingly hard to come up with ideas... It also becomes a time to face myself and wonder what kind of designs I actually like.
   

3. Actually make it!
   I think steps 2 and 3 can be done simultaneously. Ideas often come to you while you're actually working with your hands.
   

4. Let it dry
   Let it air dry. Depending on the size and the season, it's best to let it dry for at least 2-3 days. I keep mine on top of the refrigerator, out of the kids' reach, for about a week.
   

5. Paint it
   After making what you like with paper clay, let it dry for a week, and then paint it on one of the following weekends. This way, you can play at home for two weeks in a row. (You need clothes you don't mind getting dirty and to be prepared for the table to get messy. If you use water-based paints, it won't get too bad, though...)
   Nowadays, you can get paints in sets of 1 to 12 colors at 100-yen shops, which is truly a blessing.
   I bought a 12-color set, but be aware that some colors don't have great pigmentation, or you might not be able to mix them to get the color you expected.
   

6. Let it dry
   After painting, let it dry again.
   It's best to let it dry for about 3-4 days.
   

7. Apply varnish
   I also bought the varnish at Daiso.
   You don't have to apply varnish, but I usually do because it makes it look glossy and adds strength.
   Applying varnish is quick, but it has a smell, so I do it while the kids are at nursery school.
   If you're going to apply varnish, I recommend waiting about a week after painting. If it's not dry enough, the paint might run when you apply the varnish.
   

8. Let it dry and it's finished!
   The varnish dries in about 2 days.
   It's finally finished!

My child seems to have a special attachment to the things we made together and treasures them. It's highly recommended because they also look cute when displayed during events like birthdays and Christmas!🎂

The cold days are still continuing, but let's have a fun time!