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Kids in some parts of Mexico make clay animal figures called animalitos, which means “little animals.” You can create animalitos, too. Buy modeling clay or make some using the recipe below.
 
• 2 cups (470 milliliters) of baking soda
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) corn starch
• 1 1/4 cups (300 milliliters) of water
• 2-quart (1.9-liter) saucepan
• Wax paper
• Poster or acrylic paints
• Colored felt-tip markers
1. Stir the baking soda, cornstarch, and water together in the saucepan. Heat for a few minutes on a medium setting, stirring constantly until the mixture is the thickness of mashed potatoes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and scrape the mixture onto a piece of wax paper. You’ve made a kind of clay! Allow it to cool for at least ten minutes.
3. With your hands, roll the cool clay into a ball, then flatten the ball on the wax paper. Keep rolling and flattening the clay until it is smooth.
4. Look at pictures of animals to get an idea of their shapes and features. Start with a lump of clay about the size of a robin’s egg. Mold the clay into a simplified animal body shape.
5. Gently pinch out pieces of clay to form the animal’s head, ears, legs, tail, and other features.
6. Allow the animalitos to dry overnight or until they are hard. Then add markings and details with paint and colored markers.
Tips
• Make your animalitos very simple.
• Keep unused clay from drying out by sealing it inside a plastic bag and putting it in the refrigerator.
Art by Peter Wallace
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