Activity Overview
Create your own Salt Dough ornaments for the holidays or any time of year for different themes. I remember making these fun ornaments when I was a child and they lasted on our family tree for many many years. We decided that these didn't have to be made just during the holidays and we had a lot of fun making them. The kids liked how they were part of the process from start to finish.
Materials Needed
- 1 cup flour (self-rising flour should not be used as it will cause the ornaments to bubble up while baking)
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup water (or more as needed)
- Cookie Cutters
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrush
- Glitter
- Ribbon
- non-toxic acrylic varnish
- Rolling pin
- Cookie sheet
- Drinking straw
- Sharpie Marker
How to Make Them
- Preheat oven to 250F. Measure flour and salt, then add them to a medium mixing bowl and stir.
- Add your water.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Sprinkle a cutting board with flour and knead dough until it is a soft and pliable dough.
- Add more flour if it is still too sticky.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut out ornaments using cookie cutters.
- Peel away the surrounding excess dough and lift your cutout.
- Place on parchment paper over a cookie sheet and lay out your dough cutouts.
- Use your straw to press a hole for the ribbon at the top of your ornament for hanging.
- Place ornament dough cutouts in the oven and bake for two to three hours, or until completely dry. Flip once while baking.
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
- When the cutouts are completely cooled, paint them with acrylic paint and add glitter if you would like.
- To seal, apply an thorough and even coat of acrylic varnish to the entire ornament and then lean to dry.
- Write your name and the date on the back.
- Tie a ribbon through the straw hole that you made and you have a hangable ornament.
