Easy Seashell Craft for Preschoolers

When my family was driving around Sanibel Island FL, we had so much fun with the tongue twister:

She sells seashells down by the sea shore.

Sanibel beaches are full of the most beautiful sea shells I have ever seen in my life.  Many of the shells I picked up on the beach were tiny. Just like snowflakes, each shell was different and special in it's own way.  I kept finding shells that were a shades of red and white.  My 6 year old and I nick-named them 'Strawberry Shortcake' shells. Every time we found a Strawberry Shortcake shell we'd get so excited.

But, what do you do with so many beautiful shells?  We used a basic recipe for homemade clay using whole wheat flour, salt and water.

Here is my recipe for how to make clay:

1 part Salt

2 parts Whole Wheat Flour

1 part Water

Glitter & Paint (Optional)

Mix up the ingredients until they are the consistency of a bread or pizza dough.  If it feels too dry, add a little bit of water.  Or, if it seems too sticky, add a little more flour and salt (in equal parts).

We used a cookie cutter to form a small oval shape.

Then, we pressed the shells into our oval shaped clay forms and created little keepsakes. We created a small hole in the top by pressing a straw through the clay. Finally, we dried them in the toaster oven at 250 degrees until they hardened.

Voila!

 What's your favorite summer themed craft for kids?