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Paper Fortune Teller
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Salt Dough Shapes
Flour, salt and water make a dough that keeps forever once baked.
Three cheap ingredients, an hour of moulding, and something they can keep at the end.
What you need
- plain flour
- table salt
- water
- baking tray
- rolling pin
How to do it
- Mix two cups of flour with one cup of salt.
- Add water slowly, about half a cup, until it forms a firm dough.
- Knead for a few minutes. Let them do this part, it is the best bit.
- Roll, cut and shape whatever they want.
- Bake at a low heat for two to three hours until hard, then paint once cool.
Why this is good for them
Kneading and rolling build genuine hand strength, which matters for handwriting far more than practising letters does at this age. Measuring the cups is also real, useful arithmetic with an immediate consequence if you get it wrong.
Adapting by age
3 to 4 yearsSkip the cutters and let them squash and roll freely.
8 to 12 yearsMake a set of beads, bake them, and thread them into something.
Keep it safe
The dough is very salty and should not be eaten. Adult handles the oven throughout.
Cleanup tip
Work on a large board or tray and the flour stays contained.
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