Making salt dough figures & animals - crafts with salt dough
- The recipe
- ingredients
- The instruction
- Stir dough
- Making the salt dough figures
- How do I shape the salt dough figures "> 1. Kneading
- 2. Cut out
You love to do crafts with your kids? Then the production of salt dough figures is an exciting idea. Effortlessly you create witty animals and other figures. By baking the dough hardens and can be lifted for years. A colored finish protects the dough and looks good. We'll show you how to easily make the dough with simple ingredients.
The salt dough is assigned to the category of homemade dough. The special feature is that it can be baked, painted and painted after drying. They work together with their children and make valuable memorabilia. Whether creative salt dough figures or funny animals: The mass can be modeled similar to play dough. But it is not just children who enjoy the salt dough: they can shape door signs, candle holders and much more. The secret of the dough is the large amount of salt. There are several variations of the recipe. The ingredients are cheap, which is an advantage for family crafts and handicraft lessons in kindergarten.
The recipe
ingredients
- 3 cups of flour
- 2 cups of salt
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of cornstarch
- 5 tbsp oil
Note: The cornflour and the oil can also be omitted. However, the dough becomes more velvety due to the cornflour and holds together better. When baking, the risk of cracks is reduced. The oil makes the dough smoother, softer and smoother.
Cost: The prepared amount of dough causes costs of around 2.10 euros.
The instruction
Stir dough
Step 1: Put the flour, cornstarch and salt in a bowl.
Step 2: Mix the ingredients with a spoon.
Step 3: Now fill in the oil and water in the bowl.
4th step: Knead the mixture into a dough with a blender. The dough consists of several lumps and must be detached from the bowl wall.
Step 5: Knead the dough pieces into a large lump by hand.
Now you can also color the dough at will - this saves coloring after baking. Food coloring is best suited for this. It is easy to dose and mix well with the dough. It is best to divide the salt dough lump into several small balls to create different colors.
Making the salt dough figures
Making the salt dough figures Step 1: Shape the figures, for example by rolling out the dough and cutting out with cookie cutters.
Step 2: Place the finished figures on a board and let them dry for 1 to 2 days.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and bake the figures for at least one hour. The baking time depends on the thickness of the figures. You must plan a baking hour for every 0.5 centimeter of dough height. If the figure is one centimeter high, it will remain in the oven for two hours.
Step 4: After cooling, paint the figures in the desired color and then paint them. The painting is necessary to preserve the figures. If you would do without painting, the salt would attract moisture from the air and spoil it or make it crumbly.
Tip: Craft paints and colors are offered in the craft store. Theoretically, however, also in the household existing paints and varnishes can be used. Work opaque and do not leave any non-lacquered areas on the figures.
How do I shape the salt dough figures "> 1. Kneading
You can treat the salt dough in the same way as dough: Use both hands to roll balls for the bodies of the figures and complete your arms and legs. Shape objects or let your imagination run wild. You can decorate the figures with any objects: Make a small castle out of the salt dough and put a Lego knight on the castle. Or put a little hat on the salt dough snowman. The handicraft shop offers various decorative objects that can be used.
2. Cut out
First of all, roll out the dough on a baking sheet or a flat surface. Make sure that the height is as even as possible. With a cookie cutter, you can make Christmas figures. The remaining dough can be kneaded and rolled out again.
How can I use the salt dough figures "> 
The dough is not classically toxic due to the ingredients, but also not edible. The large amount of salt causes health problems and can be life-threatening if swallowed. However, in most cases, the body has a defense mechanism: The inedible dough tastes very salty, so it is usually spat out by children immediately and it comes to a strong gag reflex. For this reason, children under the supervision of parents can enjoy carefree carefree.
Tip: Since small children occasionally lick their fingers, a strong salty taste may remain in the mouth. Always have a glass of water ready. If, however, salt dough was taken into the mouth, it must be spat out immediately, which usually happens automatically again. If, despite the salty taste, the child has swallowed some of the dough, you should call the emergency service and follow the instructions given there, just as you do when swallowing dough. Mostly, the child vomits on its own.
