How to Make Glue with 3 Kitchen Ingredients
Learn HOW TO MAKE GLUE with corn starch, vinegar and corn syrup. Great for kids paper crafts and preschool projects, and handy to make in a pinch when your kids run out of glue while crafting.
I love making my own craft supplies here in my home daycare. We’ve made all kinds of homemade paints in the past, and today, I’m going to show you how to make homemade glue.
We go through a lot of glue here in my daycare. Toddlers tend to use way more glue than they need to when they’re crafting, so I thought I’d try making my own for the days when we have very young children at the craft table.
I used a really easy recipe – just corn starch, vinegar, corn syrup and water – and I’m happy to say it turned out great.
The kids loved using it, and we didn’t have to worry about being wasteful when they applied it too liberally to their projects.
Note: Homemade glue does take longer to dry than store-bought glue
Benefits:
- homemade glue can be made for pennies
- you can set out one large bowl that everyone can dip into
- it’s easier for a young child to dip and apply with a paintbrush than to struggle with a squeeze bottle
- being resourceful and thrifty can be oddly gratifying 😉
Note: Homemade glue cannot be used for making slime
How to Make Glue with 3 Kitchen Ingredients
Ingredients:
Get the printable recipe at the bottom of this post
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch & 3/4 cup cold water (combined)
- food colouring (optional)
- whisk
- container or jar with lid for storing your glue
How to make your glue
In a small pot, stir together your water, syrup and vinegar.
Place your pot on the stove and bring the liquid to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
While it’s coming to a boil, combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl.
Slowly whisk the corn starch and water mixture into the pot of boiling liquid.
Continue to whisk until everything is well-blended.
When the glue is well-mixed, remove the pot from the heat.
Allow your glue to cool a bit before pouring it into a glass jar or plastic container.
Let the glue sit overnight before using it.
Using your homemade glue
Kids can apply their homemade glue to their projects using :
- paintbrushes
- cotton swabs
- craft sticks
And that, my friends, is how to make glue when your kids run out or when they tend to be wasteful with store-bought glue.
Below you’ll find a few extra tips you might find handy when making homemade glue.
If your homemade glue thickens overnight
I will say that I had a moment of fleeting disappointment when I checked my glue after letting it stand over night. It had solidified into a thick gel.
The fix to thin homemade glue:
To remedy this, I added a tbsp or so of water, and gave it a good stir until the glue returned to a consistency I was happy with.
Adding colour to your homemade glue (optional)
If you like, you can stir a drop or two of food colour into your homemade glue before it cools. Adding a bit of colour helps young children see where they’ve applied their glue when they’re crafting.
How to store homemade glue:
Store your homemade glue in a sealed container in the fridge to prevent mold from forming.
Shake before using.
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Homemade Glue with 3 Kitchen Ingredients
This homemade glue recipe is easy to make, and great for paper crafts and kids’ craft projects.
Supplies
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch & 3/4 cup cold water combined
- food colouring optional
Instructions
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Combine water, corn syrup and vinegar in small pot
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Heat on stove over med-hi until it comes to a rolling boil
-
While it’s heating, combine corn starch and cold water in small bowl
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Whisk this mixture into the boiling liquid, stirring constantly until well-blended
-
Remove from heat and allow to cool before pouring into glass jar or plastic container
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Let sit overnight before using
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Store in sealed container in refrigerator to prevent mold from forming.
More homemade art & craft supplies:
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
