Materials Ink pens with removable ink stick Wax paper Sculpey oven bake clay Clay molds (optional) Knife Rolling pin Cooking spray Cookie sheet
For school-aged kids, having the right school supplies is of the utmost importance. And that doesn’t mean having everything on the"required supplies” list. Kids pay attention to who has the best backpack, the most unique pencils and the most decorated folders. If your kids are all about making things their own, try out this craft to create a one-of-a-kind pen. You can bet that not many other kids will be able to say they made the pen they’re writing with.
1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Then remove the ink stick from the pen and place wax paper on the table.
2, Select three colors of clay and cut to the following dimensions:
•¼ inch of accent color •½ inch of main color •½ inch of secondary color
Knead the clay on the wax paper until it’s soft and then flatten the main and secondary colors into pancake-flat circles about 2-1/2 inches by 2-1/2 inches wide (it’s easier to do this if you place the clay between two sheets of wax paper and use a rolling pin to flatten). Roll the accent colored clay into a worm shape. Place the main color circle on the table, the secondary color on top and the accent (worm shape) across the middle of the circle. Beginning at the edges, tightly roll all three pieces of clay into a roll shape.
3, Cut off the ends of the roll of clay. Begin cutting pieces about¼ inch wide until the entire roll of clay is cut. Cover the pen with the pieces of clay, squishing them together so they hold tightly. Cover the entire pen, except for the opening where the ink stick will be put back in.
4. If you’re using a mold, press some extra clay into the mold and then carefully pop the clay out. We used molds of sea creatures and puppies to allow the kids to personalize their pens. Using small pieces of clay as glue, connect the molded shape to the top of the pen. Or, kids can use clay pieces to freehand shape animals such as frogs or Teddy bears and attach them to the top of the pen.
5. Spray a light amount of cooking spray onto the cookie sheet, place the pens on the pan and put them in the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Let cool and then place the ink stick back inside the pen. Happy writing!
