An art project is a fun way to enrich any lesson plan. Many times, art supplies are very expensive so when thinking about your back-to-school shopping list, consider which supplies you may be able to make in quantity yourself. Glitter is a favorite art supply and yes, it can be expensive BUT it’s easy enough for you or your children to make using Epsom salt, sugar, or salt. Which should you use? Or better yet, which of these do you happen to have on hand?
Here’s a comparison between sugar, salt, and Epsom salt. All three of them worked well, so it really doesn’t matter which one you choose. You may even decide to make them all for different purposes or allow your children to make them all as an experiment and observe the difference.
The sugar glitter had the brightest colors and the most sparkly and finest texture. It had the most clumps in it after it dried though. One consideration: the sugar glitter is edible so this may be preferred for very young children and you can even put it on cupcakes!
The salt glitter held the color well, but wasn’t quite as bright as the sugar. It had a slightly larger grain than the sugar, but overall, the salt and sugar glitters were similar. The salt dried out perfectly, without any of the clumps that the sugar had.
The Epsom salt glitter ended up having a fun crystal texture. The largest crystals didn’t hold the color quite as well, but overall, it was just a fun texture for craft projects!
Here’s what you need:
2 Tablespoons of Epsom salt (or regular salt or sugar)
10 to 15 drops of liquid food coloring
Zip Lock Bag
What to do:
Pour 2 Tablespoons of Epsom salt (or regular salt or sugar) into a zip lock bag.
Seal the bag, then give it a good shake and squish it all together until the color is consistent.
Fold the zipper part of the bag outwards to help keep the bag open. Then set the open bag in front of a bright sunny window for about 24 hours or until it’s completely dry. Shake each bag occasionally, to help with the drying process or if you want to use it sooner, dry it on a tray in a low temperature oven. It will got hot so allow it to cool thoroughly before handling it or placing it in a bag.
Enjoy!
This sounds like a great science and art project when you make all three and compare them. I have two kids that would enjoy the science aspects, one that would enjoy the process itself, one that is little and might try to eat some, and all four would love the art! Thank you.