Salt Dough Ornaments

As this Holiday Season is upon us, I know I am always looking for activities to do with my children.

Whether it  is enjoying the winter weather outside or making holiday treats in the kitchen, I like to try to come up with some non-food related activities!!

I found a number of Salt-Dough recipes and ideas on the internet!  NOT FOR EATING but for decorating, these are a fun, easy, hands on kitchen activity you can do with children of all ages!

How to make salt dough:

• 1 cup salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• Up to 1 1/2 cup of warm water (add gradually)
• Straw or toothpick to make hole for hanging
• Yarn, ribbon or string

Method:

Combine the salt and flour then pour in the water gradually, stopping when it has become dough-like and not too sticky. There should be no residue left on your fingers when you touch it. Knead it on a floured surface for a few minutes to make it soft, workable and stretchy, like you would with any dough.

You may add color to the dough by mixing food coloring into the water before adding it to the flour/salt mix.

Choose a range of cookie cutter shapes and simply cut straight from the dough.  Poke a straw through the centre, near the top, of each shape so that a ribbon can be threaded through later.

Lay them on some greaseproof or baking paper and on a baking tray. Cook them on a VERY low heat (250 degrees F) for up to 3 hours. If the shapes are over 1cm thick then they will probably need to be turned over during cooking.

It is VERY important not to have the oven on too high. This will cause the salt dough to bubble up and fill with air, as essentially it is being cooked. What you are really aiming for is to dry them out thoroughly, over a slow period of time.

Let the “ornaments” cool completely. Then paint using acrylic paints and decorate them as you like. Makes about 2 dozen pieces, but please do not eat them! These are for decorative purposes only.

To see more info on salt dough click here.