Questions, answered.

Three A5 activity cards for the activities you choose, six FIMO blocks (57 g each) in your chosen colours, one spare block for decorating, one FIMO Effect Nightglow block, and water-based gloss varnish to finish. You will also need a home oven, baking paper, a toothpick and a blunt knife.

Presale packs post from Tuesday 8 December 2026, in time for the summer holidays. NZ postage is free.

Yes. When you order, choose six colours for making and one spare for decorating, from the FIMO Soft and soft FIMO Effect ranges. The Nightglow block comes in every pack.

There is enough clay for up to six makers. It is designed for two people, such as a parent and child, to make all three activities each. It works just as well for six people making one activity each.

Yes, it is possible, but expect to give a lot more hands-on help and guidance. Under-fives are still developing the fine motor skills and patience the activities need. Packs are not suitable for babies or young toddlers, although younger ones often love it when you make one for them and they help you customise it, pressing on the eyes and details.

NZ postage is free. For overseas delivery, email us at marketing@morrisandjames.co.nz with your country and we will send you a postage quote.

Yes. The packs use FIMO polymer clay by Staedtler, which is non-toxic and carries the AP Non-Toxic seal for art materials. There are no toxic glazes or finishes, and the gloss varnish is water based. As with any craft material, it is not for eating, so keep an eye on little ones and wash hands after making. Bake at 110°C and never overbake, as burnt polymer clay gives off harmful fumes.

Warming the clay is how every Klay Master activity starts, and it is an essential step. Break the block into small pieces and roll each one into a ball between your hands. The warmth of your hands softens the clay. Once the pieces feel soft, press them back together into one ball, ready to start. It takes a few minutes, and it is a great way to keep kids busy while you get set up for the activity.

In winter, give the clay a head start by sitting it on a hot water bottle or a warmed wheat bag for a few minutes before you begin. Keep it gentle: warm, not hot, as too much heat can start to cure the clay. Never microwave it.

If clay is crumbly, it is usually old or has been stored somewhere warm. Small crumbly pieces still work well for details like eyes.

Preheat a home oven to 110°C. Lay the pieces on baking paper on a tray and bake for 30 minutes. An oven thermometer helps, as oven dials are not always accurate. Leave the pieces to cool fully before handling, as FIMO firms up as it cools.

Never go above 110°C or past the baking time, and always set a timer. Burnt polymer clay releases harmful fumes, so if it scorches, turn the oven off, open a window and air the room. We learnt this the hard way: during a family workshop our oven thermostat failed and the oven overheated, and every creation was ruined.

Wrap opened clay in cling film or keep it in an airtight container, somewhere cool and out of the sun. FIMO does not dry out in the air, but heat and sunlight can start to cure it and dust sticks to it easily.

Once your piece has baked and cooled, brush on a thin coat of the water-based gloss varnish from your pack. It brings out the colours and gives a smooth, shiny finish. Let it dry fully before you take your photos. Rinse the brush in water straight after.

No. The competition is for people who have bought a Family Series pack, as entry comes with the pack. The private entry link and details on how to enter are included in your pack.

Any time. The competition runs every month, so make your piece when it suits you and enter it in whichever month you like. There is no deadline to use your pack.

Yes. Enter as many pieces as you like in the same month, and each one goes into that month's round.

No. Enter any activity from your pack. Make all three, or if someone falls in love with one model, make it again and enter the new piece. It is up to you.

No. Every unique design has one entry. You are welcome to make the same model again, and a new piece with its own design can be entered as a new entry.

Use a plain background and good daylight. Take five photos so the judges can see the whole piece: front, back, left side, right side and from above. For the Glow award, a sixth photo taken in the dark is welcome.

There are two. Five winners are picked from each month's entries and sent a small bronze Morris & James emblem with a magnet for the fridge. Separately, anyone who completes three activities, at any time in the year, is posted a Finisher Magnet. Prizes are posted separately from the pack.

The Finisher Magnet is a flat fridge magnet with a rosette design, and it is about progress: sticking with it, finishing what you start and picking up new skills along the way. Anyone who completes three activities at any time during the year gets one. They can come from one pack or from different packs. It does not matter how they get there, only that they finish three. The design changes often, so they become collectable through the year.

No. Monthly winner emblems and Finisher Magnets are posted to you free within NZ.

No. Everyone is judged together, but the judges always take the maker's age into account.

A panel of judges: past staff of Morris & James Pottery, and Amanda Penton, head Klay Master tutor. Guest potters occasionally join us on the judging panel.