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How to Make Homemade Sticky Paste for Kids

Homemade paste is simple and effective for gluing.
Katy McDonnell/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Making your own homemade sticky paste has some benefits, which include knowing that the concoction you give your children for gluing doesn’t contain potentially harmful ingredients. Of course, you can stock your art room with standard glues and pastes purchased from the store, but you might also teach your children about the joys of homemade products, too. Some paste is simple enough for youngsters to make and other recipes require some adult assistance.

Things You'll Need:

  • 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
  • Food Coloring
  • Medium Mixing Bowl
  • Wooden Spoon
  • 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Cool Water
  • Plastic Container With Lid
  • Medium Pan

Flour Paste

Place 1 cup flour into the medium mixing bowl.

Pour 1 cup water into the flour slowly, mixing as you pour.

Add 2 to 4 drops of food coloring to the mixture and mix the food coloring in to distribute it well.

Adjust the consistency of the paste by adding more flour to make it thicker or more water to make it runnier. The optimal consistency is like a thick frosting.

Use the glue immediately and do not store it because it will harden and become unusable.

Cooked Paste

Measure 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1 1/2 cups cool water in a medium pan. Stir the ingredients well.

Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons white vinegar to the pan and stir well to mix.

Heat the ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and heating until the paste becomes clear and thick.

Remove the paste from the heat and stir in 2 to 4 drops of food coloring.

Cool the paste down to room temperature before allowing children to handle it, to prevent burns.

Transfer the paste to a plastic container. Seal and store the paste for approximately 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Tip

The starch molecules in a flour and water mixture work effectively for gluing paper, according to 3M Discovery Education. Heating the paste ingredients also helps create starch molecules. Allow children to make the flour paste, and ensure that adults take charge of heating the cooked paste for safety.

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