Hi everyone,
During the Easter holidays some students joined me online to make Easter Tree decorations out of salt dough. I thought I would share the details of this fun activity here so you can make your own decorations. I'm thinking hearts would look good painted with rainbow colours to hang in your windows to show support to key workers and NHS ... If you make some be sure to send me a photo!
Honestly, this is super easy, relaxing, fun and fills an hour! Please do give it a go...
YOU WILL NEED:
(N.B An adult will be required to help with using the oven and youngr children will need some general assistance).
1 cup plain flour (plus more for adjusting dough/using on board for rolling out)
1/2 cup table salt
1/2 cup water (gradually added to dry mix ... you may not need all of this)
Bowl to mix dough in
Food colour (if you don't have any or you want to paint the shapes instead leave this out)
Board for rolling out dough
Rolling pin
Spatula for lifting shapes off board
Something to poke a hole through decorations with (I used a chopstick)
Household items or kids toy dough shapes to make imprints with (such as fork etc)
Cookie cutters or something similar to cut out shapes
Baking tray/s
Baking paper
Ribbon/twine/thread/string to hang decorations up with
Twigs from garden or artificial twig tree ornament to display decorations (optional)
Oven heated to 100 degrees C
HOW TO MAKE YOUR DECORATIONS:
1) Place flour and salt in a bowl and mix.
2) Add water a small amount at a time and mix the dough together with your hands until it is a nice soft but not sticky dough. If you need to add a little more flour this is fine.
3) If you want to colour your dough, add a little food colour now. You can separate your dough into several different balls to add different colours if you like. If you are planning to paint your decorations once baked, then leave them plain. You can even blend two different colour doughs together lightly to create a rippled or marbled colour effect.
4) Once you have kneaded in your colours you are ready to start rolling out your dough. Sprinkle a little flour on your board and roll out your dough to about 1 cm thick (please bear in mind that the dough shrinks as it is baked). Using your glass or cookie cutters, press out your decorations.
5) Use something atleast as thick as a chopstick or pencil to make a hole towards the top of each decoration (the hole made will shrink during baking so make sure it is big enough to poke your thread through).
6) If you want to make imprints on your shapes you can do that also (such as dots/stripes etc...). Be gentle though so you don't chop the shape in half !
7) Using your spatula, carefully lift your shapes off the board and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Repeat rolling out all your dough and cutting out shapes until finished.
8) Ask an adult to help you put the baking trays into an oven heated up to 100 degrees centigrade.
9) They take a long time to dry out and harden at this low temperature so ask an adult to check on them after a couple of hours. They may even need an hour or more longer depending on the thickness of your dough. Be patient !
10) When the shapes are cool, you can paint them if you like and hang them up with thread/wool/twine/ribbon attached through the hole.
Well done and please send me a photo of your decorations!
Best wishes,
Susy x
