Bits & Pieces: How to make a shiny ball out of mud
Bits & Pieces: How to make a shiny ball out of mud: "I might try this at our Mud Volleyball Tournament this summer.

Mud ball At elementary schools, kindergartens, and preschools all across Japan, kids are losing themselves making hikaru dorodango, or balls of mud that shine. Behind this boom is Professor Fumio Kayo of the Kyoto University of Education. Kayo is a psychologist who researches children's play, and he first came across these glistening dorodango at a nursery school in Kyoto two years ago. He was impressed and devised a method of making dorodango that could be followed even by children. Once Kayo teaches children how to make these mud balls, they become absorbed in forming a sphere, and they put all their energy into polishing the ball until it sparkles. The dorodango soon becomes the child's greatest treasure. Kayo sees in this phenomenon the essence of children's play, and he has written academic papers on the subject. The mud balls could also offer fresh insights into how play aids children's growth.

How to Make Shiny Dorodango
# Pack some mud into your hand, and squeeze out the water while forming a sphere.
# Add some dry dirt to the outside and continue to gently shape the mud into a sphere.
# When the mass dries, pack it solid with your hands, and rub the surface until a smooth film begins to appear.
# Rub your hands against the ground, patting and rubbing the fine, powdery dirt onto the sphere. Continue this for two hours.
# Seal the ball in a plastic bag for three or four hours. Upon removing the sphere, repeat step 4, and then once again seal the sphere in a plastic bag.
# Remove the ball from the bag, and if it is no longer wet, polish it with a cloth until it shines."
- posted by Gp @ 10:39 PM