Cast Plaster Bugs

Posted 2013-04-15 by Jane Street ⇒ follow

Casting plaster of Paris in a silicone baking mold is surprisingly easy. The casting process is a fun activity in itself. Children can also enjoy decorating the items once they have dried.

Decorating plaster creatures would be a great activity for a birthday party. If you're having a theme, you could choose a silicone baking mold to match your theme and make up your plaster items in advance, ready to paint. A big bag of plaster costs just a few dollars from a discount craft shop so each creature costs very little. The silicone mold is not damaged in the process and can be washed and reused.

Time: 10 minutes to make the plaster creatures, at least 24 hours to air dry, 20 minutes to decorate
Age: Any Age
Level: Medium

Materials
(makes about 3 medium sized creatures)

1/2 cup craft plaster of Paris

1/4 cup water

Disposable plastic cup or tub and spoon

Silicone baking mold

Acrylic paint and brushes

Glitter

Cheap materials

Method

Make up the plaster according to the manufacturer's instructions. We used 1/2 cup of plaster and added it to 1/4 cup of water, stirring well until we had no lumps. Be careful not to get plaster on to your skin and make sure you don't inhale any plaster dust. Don't wash plaster down the sink as it can harden in the pipework. It may be easier to prepare it in a disposable plastic cup or tub which you can just throw away afterwards.