Want to try your hand at carving?  Make your own rock!  It's easy even for the kids, and what's more, it will look exactly as if you'd collected it.  It will be almost white and have a granite-like texture.

Ingredients:  I part water, I part Plaster of Paris, and 1-1/2 parts vermiculite (found in a building supply store). Mix in a plastic bucket.  Caution: DON'T pour any of the mixture down the sink!  Pour the mixture into a clean milk carton and let set for four or five days.  To harden quicker, reverse the process by using more Plaster of Paris.  Clean bucket with paper towels.

Carving can be done with simple kitchen tools.  Use your imagination and have fun.  After drying for about a week, your sculpture can be painted or left in its natural state.

1 cup flour
3 cups Plaster of Paris
2 cups water (approx.)

Mix flour and Plaster of Paris power together.  Add water to thicken mixture.  Pour into an oiled container (shoe box, plastic container, milk carton, etc.) and let set up over night.  To carve, use paring or table knife.  Yields approx. 3 cups.