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Activity: Big hands, small hands

Materials:
Patch plaster or plaster of paris, mixing bowl, sturdy paper plates
Time:
45 minutes plus drying time
Skills:
Art & design

Children love to compare the size of their hands with grown-up hands. So, why not try a real hands-on activity with your child? Create plaster casts of your and your child’s handprints. Your child can measure her growth over the years, and you'll have a cherished reminder of those once small hands.

  1. Mix four cups plaster of paris according to directions on the package.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, stir ingredients until thick (plaster of paris becomes the consistency of thick stew in  just a few minutes).
  3. Pour the plaster onto two paper plates.
  4. Wait one or two minutes, then have your child press her hand lightly into the plaster on the first plate.
  5. Now press your hand lightly into the plaster on the second plate.
  6. Let the handprints dry overnight before peeling the paper plate from the print.

Plan on a decorating session with paints, stickers, glitter and costume jewelry to personalize the handprints, including signing and dating the back. Attach a picture hook on the back and hang the handprints. How long will it take before your child's hand is the same size as yours? Or bigger?