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Monday, April 7, 2008

Just Add Water

What you're looking at is a flower made from biodegradable packaging peanuts and a little water, thats all. Here's the story behind how I figured out you could make sculptures out it. For Christmas my son received a box of Play Mais. It occurred to me after playing with the stuff that it had to be colored packaging peanuts. Today, after a short test my suspicions were confirmed, that's exactly what it is!

Directions below on how you can make sculptures out of biodegradable packaging peanuts. This is a great project for children of all ages.




This is what the biodegradable packaging peanuts look like. Make sure you are using this kind, not the Styrofoam ones.


1. Dampen a sponge or paper towel and keep it on a plate.
2. Dampen the surface of the peanut by stamping it on the wet sponge. The water makes it sticky.
3. Attach it to another peanut.

* A plastic knife works great for cutting the peanuts. You can also mold the peanuts by squishing them with your fingers. To draw on the peanuts use pen or markers.

9 comments:

June (planetjune) said...

That's like magic! What a great discovery.

Liz said...

Wow! I've heard of using them as targets in the toilet for little boys, but never for sculpting. Great idea...

Birdie said...

nifty, nifty! You know, once I did get water on one of them, only it was quite a bit of water and I was surprised at how it disintegrated. This is such a neat idea. I wish I had some packing peanuts now!

Oiyi said...

I use to love pouring water over them to make them disappear.

Cami said...

What a cool discovery! I guess I'll have to order a treat for myself so my kids can play with the peanuts ;) Really, Jessica, I think you're one of the most creative and unique talents in the blog world. Your blog is a joy!

Anonymous said...

Since they're made of cornstarch, they're also perfectly safe to eat, which is nice for anything around kids. I shock people every once in a while by casually chewing one up.

Indigo Blue said...

My daugther saw your photos and now I need to find some of these! To think how many I have thrown away over the years. Beter do an order at work and hope that some are in the box. Clever.

Marcia said...

What a pretty little flower. I'll remember this the next time I get a package.

Larissa said...

That is an amazing idea. I love re-using junk!

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