Holiday Crafts for Kids: Flour and Salt Ornaments

In keeping with the season, my grandkids and I made flour and salt ornaments for the tree. I’m always on the lookout for fun, simple, hands-on activities to do with my grandkids, and this project fits the bill perfectly. The bonus was that we had everything we needed, so no trips to the store were necessary. Avoiding holiday traffic is of utmost importance to me.

In full disclosure, it can be a messy activity. I always start messy projects by putting a reusable plastic tablecloth on the table. I’m not a fussy housekeeper, but I do want to protect my table. Before beginning, it’s essential to let go of any perfectionism and allow the kids to indulge in their own idea of creativity. If they want a purple tree or a rainbow star, let them create their vision. Their feeling of accomplishment and enjoyment is more important than a perfectly finished product. I gathered the supplies I needed and set up the project before the kids arrived. Here is the list:

Supplies

• Tablecloth
• Big cutting board (not necessary, but another layer to protect your table)
• Rolling pin
• Flour
• Salt
• Warm water
• Cookie cutters
• Spatula
• Cookie sheet
• Parchment paper
• Toothpick
• String or ornament hangers
• Paint and/or food coloring
• Paintbrushes
• Cups of water to rinse brushes
• Mod Podge (optional)

Steps

1. Make the dough

The first step is to make the dough. The recipe (below) calls for four cups of flour, one cup of salt, and one and a half cups of warm water. This is a good amount if you have four or five kids, but it made too much for my two grandkids. Next time, I would cut that recipe in half.

My five-year-old granddaughter was eager to help, so we measured the ingredients together, and then she stirred the mixture.

2. Roll and cut the dough

I sprinkled flour on the cutting board, then placed the dough on top of the flour. I kneaded it slightly before rolling it out. The dough should be rolled to approximately 1/8 inch. We just guessed because we’re not super-picky project people. Once the dough was rolled out, the kids chose their cookie cutters.

My eight-year-old grandson had been sitting out until this point, but when he saw how much fun we were having, he joined in and made an army of gingerbread men. Before baking, use a toothpick to poke a hole for a string or a hanger in each ornament.

3. Bake the ornaments

I lined two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and as the kids finished cutting out their shapes, I used a spatula to transfer them to the cookie sheets. I put them into the oven, which was pre-heated to 275 degrees. (If you do it hotter than that, you risk bubbles in the ornaments) and baked them for about twenty minutes.

4. Decorate

After they cooled, we went to work painting them. I gave each kid half of a used egg carton with primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) plus brown and white. A paper plate also works well for paint. Sylvia loves to mix colors, and it reinforces what the primary colors are and how you make secondary colors. I might as well have just put brown in my grandson’s egg crate because that’s the only color he used. I wasn’t about to criticize that choice. I was happy he participated!

If you don’t have paint, you can use food coloring in the dough before you cut it out. You can divide the dough into portions and use different colors of food coloring. Some of the color will fade during baking, so use plenty of food coloring.

If you have Mod Podge, give each ornament a coat of it after the paint dries. It will improve the appearance and give it a shiny finish. We were out of Mod Podge, but I’ll get it before they come for their next Saturday night sleepover. We experimented with different hanger types and decided the metal hooks worked well. Some people use a jute-type string, but we worked with what we had available. A few ornaments didn’t have big enough holes, so I used E-6000 glue to attach the hangers to the backs of those.

If you have sequins, glitter, or other decorative touches, apply after the paint.

My grandkids had so much fun making their ornaments, and any time we spend NOT on screens is a win in my book! They were proud to show off their ornaments to their parents. Overall, we all had fun, so I’m marking it as a successful activity!

Recipe

• Four cups of flour
• One cup of salt
• One and a half cups of warm water

Follow the above instructions.

Preheat oven to 275°F and bake cut-out ornaments on parchment paper for about twenty minutes.

Let cool before decorating.

Merry Christmas and happy crafting!