This candle holder was made as an idea starter for my Crafty Kids. It was made from salt dough and dried in the oven to speed the process of drying - I needed to paint it!

Materials:
Salt Dough
Tempera Paint



Recipe for Salt Dough:
2 cups table salt
4 cups flour
water. Start with 1 cup and adjust to make a kneadable dough.
Food color is optional. It takes a lot.

Mix the ingredients in a large bowl until it makes a firm ball that holds together. Then take it from the bowl and knead it for 5-10 minutes. You want to activate the gluten in the flour. There should be a slightly rough texture to the surface of the dough ball, as if bubbles had broken.

Method:
Let the children make whatever they want to make from the dough. Some of them will not think to make something 3 dimensional. Try to encourage that so that they actually have a sculpture to take home.

Drying:
Salt dough will air dry, but it can be encouraged by putting it in a 200 degree oven for about 3 hours. If it is light sounding when you thunk it, it is done. If it sounds heavy, it needs more time.

Painting:
Use either tempera or acrylic paint on your salt dough creation.