Salt Dough Turkey

Description

Here is another salt dough activity. Make this salt dough turkey for Thanksgiving. This can be used as decoration or to add to a place setting. Another idea is to have guests can take home their turkey.

Materials

See here for the Salt Dough Recipe
• Turkey Cookie Cutters or molds
• Non-toxic water soluble paint
• Brush
• Sharpie
• Medium weight piece of cardboard
• Elmers or craft glue

Steps

• Trace the cookie cutter on paper and plan your design.
• Draw your design with a pencil on baked and well dusted cookie.
• Begin painting the cookies.
• The colors shown here can be used as an example but any color you desire is fine.
• Allow paint to dry a few minutes when painting sections for instance the tail feathers side by side.
• Cut out a strip of cardboard 1" x 3" , fold in half and glue on back of the turkey leaving 1/2" at the bottom showing.
• Let the glue dry for an hour or so and with a black fine tip Sharpie, draw the legs on the cardboard at the bottom and make a dot for the eye. Adult help is needed, Sharpie is a permanent marker.
• Prop up the turkeys using their cardboard stands and place where desired.

Tips and Suggestions

• This project is best done in two days. The first day make the dough, cut it out and bake. On the second day decorate and display.
• Don't make the dough in advance or use leftover dough.
• Alum is optional. Alum is an astringent that aids in binding the ingredients.
• Cookies larger that 2 1/4 inches may not dry flat. If you are experiencing this, allow the cookies to dry at room temperature for 24 hours on a floured cookie sheet, then continue to dry out in warm oven. Most average size cookies are dry in 24 hours.

Educational Tips

• Great recipe to write out to enhance the toddler activity.
• Helps to build fine motor skills.

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