Pre-Halloween Party Questions

"Can I super glue my fangs to my teeth so I can eat with them?" Rebekah asks. "Super glue wears off, doesn't it?" "What about Elmer's Glue then?" "How long would that last?" "When should I put them on?" These were some questions Rebekah was asking me while I was sending out reminder invitations to our family Halloween Party. I came across the following article while searching to see if super glue was edible (or non-toxic anyway), enjoy! Why buy store bought glue made in China for your preschooler's arts and crafts when you can create your own sticky-stuff right in the kitchen with ingredients out of your cupboard? These paste and gummy, sticker glue recipes are fun to make, non-toxic (edible) and actually work to stick child's crafts together.

While these recipes may not be "Super Glue" quality, they will serve well enough for craft paste when you and your preschooler are working together on new artistic endeavors. The best part is, these recipes are all edible so if your preschooler eats glue like I did, they will be ok.

Homemade Sticker Glue (Seal Gum)

4 Packets Unflavored Gelatin 2 Cups Water 1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract Mix water and gelatin in a sauce pan. Once mixed heat the water on medium to fully dissolve. Remove from heat and add the peppermint extract. When it cools, paint it onto the back of child's artwork, magazine pictures clipped from magazines or other scraps of paper to create your homemade stickers. Let it dry completely and simply lick to create the sticky sticker later when you want to use your homemade stickers. Tried and True Mommy Tip: These are delightful! Go through a magazine and let your child select images to be turned into stickers. You can also make stickers out of their pieces of artwork. Use these as a car trip distraction by preparing several images ahead of time, of items your child is likely to see on a long car ride. Then as she see the items she can lick the sticker of that thing and stick it into a little trip diary notebook or journal.

Edible Glue Recipe

3/4 Cup Water 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup 1 Teaspoon White Vinegar Mix in a small saucepan and boil. 1/2 Cup Cornstarch 3/4 Cup Cold Water Mix in a small bowl and slowly drizzle into the first, boiled mixture, stirring constantly. This glue should stand overnight and can then be used. Tried and True Mommy Tip: To create colored glue add food coloring drops to the corn syrup before mixing and boiling in the first step. This is a good glue recipe for glitter or paper mosaic crafts. We like to match the glue color to the desired glitter color in case any shows through or for added special effects.

Paste Recipe

1/2 Cup Flour Cold Water Add cold water to flour until it turns into a thick, creamy texture. Simmer for 5 minutes and add food coloring if desired. This paste will take awhile to dry, staying thick and white in color. It is easy or younger kids to handle since it has a thicker consistency. Tried and True Mommy Tip: I let my kids use popsicle sticks to spread this glue. It's a great choice for covering large areas of paper with glue, as the kids can easily see what they have and have not covered.