Jewelry

• Even young children aged 3 and up can make jewelry with model magic. The modeling compound does not cling or crumble, so they won't have messy hands or clothes. Teach them to roll bits of Model Magic into balls to make beads they can string onto beading cord for a necklace or a bracelet. Once they roll the balls, help them insert a knitting needle through the center of the balls to make beads. Remove the needle and let the beads air dry. After 24 hours, the kids can decorate the beads with craft paint or permanent markers. Your kids can also make a pendant to hang onto cording to make a necklace. Help them roll a quarter-size ball of Model Magic, flatten it and form it into any shape they like. Press a stamp into the soft compound as decoration and insert the knitting needle sideways through the top. The kids can paint the pendant once it dries.
  
  

Decorative Mask

• Decorative masks make fun room decorations, and your kids can make one with Model Magic, a smooth coffee can and some embellishments. Help them make a softball-sized ball of compound, and then flatten it until its 1/3- to ½-inch thick in the shape of an oval. Remove sections for the eyes with a small oval or round cookie cutter, or you can cut the eyes out for them with a craft knife. If you want to make a nose shape, lift the bottom center of the oval. To round the mask, wrap the soft oval around a coffee can and leave it to dry. After 24 hours, paint the mask, glue on feathers, flat-backed rhinestones and other embellishments for decoration. E-6000 craft glue works well for this project.
  
  

Planter

• Making a square or rectangular planter with Model Magic is a simple craft project that makes a great grandparent's gift. Flatten five square or rectangle panels with similar thicknesses to make the sides and bottom of your planter. If you make a rectangle, you'll have three panels the same size for the bottom, front and back of the planter, and two panels the same size for the sides of the planter. A square planter will have five equal panels. Your kids can use a rolling pin to smooth out the Model Magic panels. Make the planter by adding the side panels to the bottom panel and smoothing the seam with your fingers. Remember to poke a few drainage holes in the bottom panel with a knitting needle while the compound is still soft. After the planter dries, the kids can have fun decorating it for grandma with paint, buttons, ribbon and glass cabochons.