Little Hands Paperweight

Before you know it, your child will be all grown up and you'll hardly remember those soft little hands. But making a Little Hands Paperweight will help keep those precious memories.

WHAT YOU NEED

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt
3/4 cup water
Food coloring
Aluminum foil
Cookie sheet
Rolling pin
Butter knife, round or heart shaped cookie cutter
Toothpick
Oven
Poster paints (optional)

HOW TO DO IT

Make Salt Dough Clay:
- Mix 2 cups all purpose flour with 1 cup of salt and water in a deep bowl.
- Knead it until it's doughy.
- Add food coloring or wait and paint finished paperweight.
Roll dough into a ball.
Put the ball onto a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet.
Roll the ball flat with a rolling pin until it's about 1 inch thick.
Spread your child's fingers and press his or her hand into the center of the clay.
Use a butter knife to cut a shape such as a circle or a heart around the handprint. You may also use a large round or heart shaped cookie cutter.
Write your child's name and the date with a toothpick somewhere on the paperweight.
Bake the dough at 200 degrees until it's dry (about 3 hours).
Let it cool.
Paint with poster paint if desired.

All activities should be parent supervised. Parents, please make sure that the tools and items needed for a project are appropriate for your child.



Copyright © 2001-, Terry Muse Revised: April 2, 2002 URL: http://crafts_and_kids.tripod.com/ http://geocities.com/mounthollynj http://seaside_park_nj.tripod.com http://westlake_village_md.tripod.com Contact: Terry J. Muse