How to Make Paper Mud

Grate or slice the Ivory soap into the tub using a kitchen grater or vegetable peeler. The primary purpose of grating or shredding is to make the soap into small bits that will easily dissolve. Add the warm water, and stir the mixture together until the soap is completely dissolved in the water. You can stir it with a spoon or whisk or let your child swoosh it around with her hands for some clean, sudsy fun. Let it sit overnight for smoother clay.

Add the Borax to the soap mixture. This will act as a preservative, and will keep the mud from molding if you want to save it for future play. Get creative with some optional additives, such as artificial flavoring. Wintergreen, vanilla, butterscotch or even cinnamon powder can give your mud a nice scent. Add glitter to create a sparkly effect. This works great for making artificial snow for a model village. Food coloring or powdered tempera will give the mud color.

Ask your child or children to remove the toilet paper from the roll. You and your child can have some fun throwing the paper roll back and forth, letting the paper stream off it or draping it around the room. If you don't have the space for this, of course, you can just unroll it. Once it is off the roll, tear it into tiny bits, and drop the bits into the warm water and soap mixture. Stir it around until it is well mixed.

Play with the mud, squishing it or molding it into shapes. It can be used to form shapes that can be dried and painted, or it can be used to make temporary creations that can be returned to the tub. Paper mud can be saved for later by putting the lid on the plastic tub where it will stay moist for several days. If you're planning to keep it, wintergreen is a good flavoring choice. Combined with the Borax, it acts as a preservative and retains its pleasant odor.