Fun Salt Dough Ornament Project for Children

Salt dough ornaments are both a fun and easy project to do with kids that will create a lasting memory of their childhood for years to come. This activity is a great way to occupy busy bodies over the holiday break, or can be an inexpensive yet meaningful gift for teachers, grandparents and friends.

You will need:

4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Instructions:

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl and gradually add the water, mixing in between each addition. Stir until well combined, then knead until the dough becomes smooth and pliable (about 10 minutes). Turn dough out onto a floured cutting board. Cut the dough in half and return one half back to the bowl, keeping it covered with plastic wrap. Roll the dough to 1/8th inch thick. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Using a toothpick, make a hole in the top of the ornament for threading the ribbon for hanging. Also you can use the toothpick or sharp knife to carve the year, your child's name or other markings onto the ornament. Bake for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the ornaments are hard.

Let the ornaments cool completely before decorating. Then bring them to life by painting with acrylic paints, glitter (we painted with acrylic paint first, then covered that with a sheen glitter paint), or glue on sequins, beads or other fun adornments. Once the paint is dry you can cover it with a clear varnish, then thread with a ribbon to hang.