Craft kits for kids are at their best when they buy you a genuinely quiet hour, and clay does that better than most. Holiday BFFs is an air dry clay kit from OOLY, which means the sculpting happens at the table and the hardening happens on its own afterward, with no oven and no kiln involved. Set it out on a snow day, on the long afternoon between school letting out and the holidays actually starting, or on a party table where a room full of kids needs something to do with their hands.
What comes out of it does not go straight into the recycling, either. Small clay figures get lined up on a windowsill, added to a shelf, or handed to a grandparent, which is a better ending than most kids christmas crafts manage. It works as a gift on its own, and it is the substantial thing you put in a stocking so the rest can be candy.
How long does air dry clay take to dry?
Air dry clay hardens by evaporation rather than heat, and most pieces need roughly 24 to 72 hours to cure fully depending on thickness and humidity. It requires no oven or kiln, and finished pieces can be painted with acrylics once they are completely dry.
