Plaster Hand and Footprints
You and your preschooler will enjoy making a plaster cast of his hands and feet.
By: Trish Kuffner, author of The Preschooler's Busy Book
Plaster Hand and Footprints
Materials
- Patch plaster or plaster of Paris
- 1 1/4 cups water
- Tin can
- Mixing spoon
- Paper plates
- Picture hook (optional)
Directions
- To make the plaster mix, stir two cups of patch plaster or plaster of Paris and one and a quarter cups water in a tin can.
- The mixture should be as thick as pea soup so it can cast without air bubbles.
- Plaster of Paris dries in about ten to twenty minutes, while patch plaster takes twenty to forty minutes to dry.
- To make a cast of your child's hand or footprint, pour one inch of plaster mix into a paper plate.
- Wait two minutes for plaster of Paris, six minutes for patch plaster.
- Have your child press her hand or foot gently into the plaster.
- The imprint should not go to the bottom of the plate.
- Hold for one to two minutes and remove.
- Let the imprint sit overnight, then peel the plate from the print.
- If you like, glue a picture hook to the back and hang the print on your child's wall.