Baked Cotton Balls ~ Earth Day Activities for Kids
If you are new to Housing A Forest, we love sharing easy kids crafts. I recently made a batch of baked cotton balls with the kids and it was a HUGE hit. They loved getting messy and creating simple Earth shapes. Make sure to scroll the bottom of the post for more ideas for simple Earth Day activities for kids.
Have you tried making Baked Cotton Balls before? This is our first attempt, and let me tell you it won’t be our last. The kids LOVED it. there were lots of fun giggles and “ooey, gooey” comments.
Are you wondering what Baked Cotton Balls are?
Well they are just that. Cotton Balls rolled in a batter and then baked. The kids thought it smelled like pancakes. None of the kids tried tasting the “batter”, but it would have been totally fine. The batter is safe to eat.
Baked Cotton Ball Earth Materials:
- Flour ~ we used All Purpose White Flour, but I am sure most flours would work.
- Water
- Food coloring ~ Green and Blue
- Cotton Balls
- Tin foil lined baking tray
- Oven ~ Preheated to 300.
Basically mix a batch of flour and water together to the constancy of pancake batter. We used about a 1 to 1 ratio of flour and water. We used about 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water for each color color.
Like pancake batter: the more you mix, the smoother the constancy will be.
Once you have everything mixed together, you are ready for some gooey sensory play. This was the kids favorite step.
They rolled, squished, dripped and giggled their way through this craft. A few were tentative at first, but eventually dove right in. You know your kid the best and if this is something that they will enjoy.
The kids placed their batter covered cotton balls on a foil lined baking pan. Parchment paper would work great too.
Encourage the kids to keep their batter covered cotton balls touching. This way when they bake they will harden together and form one cluster. Also, I needed to remind a few kiddos to roll the cotton balls in the batter. I was nervous about baking cotton that was not covered in a wet batter. We made sure that all the cotton was covered before placing them on the tray.
We placed our Earth creations in the oven for about an hour at 300. However, each one needed a little different baking time. The baking time will change, depending on how many cotton balls the kids used and how thickly they applied the batter. You will know when they are done, because the “shell” is no longer soft. It should feel/sound similar to crusty bread when tapped.
Don’t be surprised when the colors darken slightly as they bake.
This was by far the kids favorite messy craft that we have done! We will be revisiting it again soon. You could glue a string to the back to hang it on the wall. Or simply enjoy it for a few days and then let the kids grab a hammer and try their hand at Smashing Cotton Balls. It will be a hit for sure!
For more simple Earth Day activities for kids, check out these fun ideas:
