Gifts Kids Can Make: Baking Soda Oranments

These homemade ornaments are a fun gift that kids can make or simply a fun craft to do with them any time of the year.  Last year my kids made some for their grandparents for a Christmas gift and this year I made them with my Activity Day Girls group at church.

I love the pure white look of the baking soda ornaments compared to the look of the salt dough ones.  These are so easy to make and worth giving a try.

To make the dough:

2 cups baking soda

1 cup corn starch

1 1/4 cups water

In a medium sized pot combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water.  Stir mixture over medium heat.  After a few minutes the mixture will start to boil and thicken.  When it looks like smooth mashed potatoes remove dough from the heat and transfer to a bowl.  Cover dough with a damp cloth or paper towel until it's cool.  

Once cool, knead the dough on a smooth surface, adding a little more cornstarch if it feels sticky.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet to dry.  Use a thin straw to place a hole at the top of the ornament for hanging.  My kids love to decorate the ornaments with stamps and I love how pretty it looks.  Let ornaments dry on the tray overnight, turning over the next day to continue drying.  To dry ornaments faster bake them in a 175 degree oven for 1 hour, or until completely hard, turning over after 30 minutes.  Once dry the ornaments can be painted (I love how they look just being white though) and string a ribbon through for hanging.