Homemade Glue and Paste Recipes

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

If you're a parent, like me, you are probably running through glue like water -- maybe even more than water. Thankfully, my mom taught me how to make it myself when I was a kid. I must admit that we sometimes buy it anyway. However, the homemade glue is awesome in  a pinch and works better anyway.

Homemade Paste -- For homemade paste, blend 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup cold water, and a pinch of salt. Whisk in a  saucepan until smooth and creamy. Then, simmer fora  few minutes until thick (but not too thick) and sticky. Cool and use.

Extra Tips:

• I have skipped heating it up when the kids needed glue really quick and it works just fine. If you have no salt, it also works fine without that.

• With either the cooked or the non-cooked method, note that this glue is mainly for paper, foam, feathers, and other thin, lightweight crafts.
• This homemade paste takes about 24 hours to fully dry. But when it dries, it holds strongly.

Homemade School Glue -- In a  saucepan, mix 3/4 cup of cold water, 2 Tbsp of corn syrup, and 1 tsp white vinegar. Stir and simmer until boiling. In a separate bowl, mix 2 tbsp of corn starch and 3/4 cups of cold water. Once the other mixture is boiling, slowly add the corn starch and water mixture in and blend until smooth and sticky. Pour into a container easy to use for gluing (old, empty glue bottles work well for this). Let is sit in the container to settle and cool for at least 24 hours before use.

Extra Tips:

• If your kids are picky and don't like the idea of homemade glue, add a small amount of flour to make it white and always pour it into emptied containers of their favorite glue when they aren't home. They'll never know the difference.
• For fun, you can add food coloring to the school glue recipe or the paste recipe. 
• Let the kids help make the glue to extend the busy craft time. 

More From Lyn:

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How to Teach Kids Sight or Spelling Words Faster and More Accurately