Salt dough is familiar to almost everyone, and most people made a big mess with it as children and shaped strange things. Salt dough is also excellent for making handprints and footprints of the little ones and keeping them as a keepsake.
Mixing the salt dough is easy, and the ingredients are always available in most households. We have the perfect instructions for this and also have a few tips ready in case something should go wrong. So nothing stands in the way of salt dough fun.
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Ingredients for the perfect salt dough
You will need:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- food coloring, if desired
How to make the perfect salt dough
First, all the ingredients are mixed and kneaded in a bowl. Then, if you want, add food coloring or glitter. It is best to knead shapes by hand. Cookie cutters are also suitable for cutting out shapes. As a beginner, it is easiest to start with flat things before trying 3D figures. Once you have gotten a feel for shaping and drying the salt dough you can move on to the more difficult things. After the dough has been shaped, you can dry the figures.
Dry the dough with care
When drying the salt dough you can choose between different methods. Either you let them air-dry, or you dry the figures in the preheated oven. You should keep checking on the salt dough, because it should not get too brown or burn. By tapping on the baked figure, you can tell whether it is done. If it sounds hollow, then it is done. If the salt dough is not done yet, it is best to let it finish drying in the air.
So, now you can go wild decorating and painting. Do crafts with your children to your heart's content!
Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Read also: Make nameplates and figures from salt dough
Crafting and shaping with salt dough promotes children's fine motor skills. Especially nice keepsakes such as handprints or footprints can be beautifully created with salt dough, and because the dried salt dough artworks can be painted, there is double the fun.