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The Empowered Educator

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Microwave Salt Dough Ornaments

by The Empowered Educator 20 Comments

I know Christmas salt dough ornaments are pretty common at this time of theย year but I thought it might be nice to share ours with you anyway…mainly because it really is such a simple activity that offers so many opportunities for family fun and tradition!
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Microwave Salt Dough Ornaments
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I used to make these every year with Miss Teen and when I pulled a few out of the box this year it reminded me that the toddler twosome were now old enough to also participate in this fun family tradition! It's also an easy activity to enjoy with a group of younger children and they make lovely keepsakes to take home to parents and special family members.
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I love that children can be involved in the process right from beginning to end by mixing the ingredients together to rolling out the dough to cutting out shapes then decorating when dry!
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Make your own salt dough Christmas ornaments with children in half the time using this easy microwave version. Lots of fun for home or childcare!

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Make your own salt dough Christmas ornaments with children in half the time using this easy microwave version. Lots of fun for home or childcare!
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It really is a simple process….salt dough is a very easy recipe and I'm sure you will find many recipes across the net if you search but this year I tried something a little different…I used THIS recipe from At Home with Ali although I was havingย a particularly …shall we say ‘fraught' day after a week of vomiting viruses in the house so I skipped all the cooking steps and just mixed the lot together…ooops. But it worked a treat and made a lovely white dough!
ย Make your own salt dough Christmas ornaments with children in half the time using this easy microwave version. Lots of fun for home or childcare!
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Normally with salt dough you need to cook the salt dough for 3-4 hrs in a slow oven to really dry them out and harden enough for children to paint – this time however I simply cooked them using the microwave oven and it saved so much time!
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Baking salt doughย ornaments in the oven to harden themย means you can't usually complete the activity in just one day (especially if you have a lot of children!)….microwaving the ornaments really worked so well and we were able to make and paint our ornaments all in one day!
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After the children have had fun creating and cutting out their Christmas shapes lay them flat on trays andย use a straw or craft stick to poke a hole in the top if you want to be able ย hang them afterwards.
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Not to sure about using the microwave to speed up the cooking and drying out process? Check out my easy instructions below and give it a try!

How to Microwave Salt Dough Ornaments

  • Separate your ornaments (or whatever you are making with salt dough) into a few dinner plate sized batchesย 
  • Spread them aroundย a large plate and then microwave on High for between 50 secs and ย 3 minutes total.
  • Check at 20-30 second intervals as cooking times will vary and it is quite easy to burn and go past the point of no return!!
  • Turn over once during cooking time to help both sides dry out evenly.
  • Cooking time willย vary depending on the number and thickness of ornaments you place onto plate, your microwave oven size and also the thickness of the plate itself.ย 
  • Keep a close eye on them while cooking and find the total time that works best for you – you'll know if you go to long because they will blacken! I suggest using a ‘demo' batch as your first lot. If they still have a few wet patches even after 3 minutes just cook in 10 second intervals until hard all over.
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Now your salt dough ornaments are hard you are ready to get messy and have some funย decorating! Keep it as simple or as messy and colourful as you like. You might even decide to leave them white although a little sprinkle of glitter after brushing with glue is nice too.
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I used some of our easy homemade and baby/toddler safe CORNFLOUR PAINT and put out a few little dishes of Christmas sparkles and some glitter shakers…we set up our decorating table outside so that we didn't need to worry about glitter going everywhere. You don't want to stifle that self expression and creativity just because you are worried about mess inside the house!
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Make your own salt dough Christmas ornaments with children in half the time using this easy microwave version. Lots of fun for home or childcare!
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There was a whole lot of glitter love going on which I figured there would be with toddlers but the beauty of these salt dough ornaments is that each child is free to decorate in any way that they want to…they may not be perfection but they were so very special to me and will remind me of this Christmas for many years to come!
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Ruby had lots of fine motor practice with her glitter shaker….if we hadn't been outside I might have been a little stressed! I was really pleased with how white and hard the dough turned out considering I used a new recipe and different method of cooking!ย I think these will be around to hang on the tree for many years to come!

Another good thing about doing them outside was that there was plenty of opportunity to go and have a little run around and then come back to the creativity!
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Make your own salt dough Christmas ornaments with children in half the time using this easy microwave version. Lots of fun for home or childcare!
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Iย tied a little gold string through the ornaments and they were ready to hang…needless to say all 3 girls were very excited by this prospect…and obviously proud of their achievements!ย We did quite a big batch so I have kept some for adding to family members Christmas presents…the rest have found a spot on the tree!
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This activity is so toddler friendly….it's easy for them to do themselves and offersย  a wonderful opportunity for self expression and a sense of achievement and pride…not to mention a littleย practice for those fine motor skills!

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What's not to love about a salt dough ornament created by those special little people in your life?
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Looking for more salt dough inspiration? I think you'll find these links helpful…..
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Another easy Salt Dough Recipe from Learning 4 Kids
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ย Some gorgeous little Salt Dough Cookiesย for dramatic play from Paint on theย Ceiling
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And have you seen our Salt Dough Handprint Keepsakes They make such a lovely gift!
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Why not join me on Instagramย for more ideas and inspiration for early learning!
Make your own salt dough Christmas ornaments with children in half the time using this easy microwave version. Lots of fun for home or childcare!

A Little About Me

Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.


Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.

Filed Under: Christmas, educator tips, sensory fun

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Comments

  1. [email protected] says

    12/12/2012 at 12:24 pm

    Ah….. microwaving salt dough! That’s what I need to do. I always find salt dough so long to work with so never really bothered. As for the glitter – I can’t believe you managed all that with a sick household. You’re an amazing woman. xo P

    Reply
    • Jode says

      13/12/2012 at 4:02 am

      I was a bit the same Pauline…but have to say the microwaving worked an absolute treat!!!So pleased with how much time we saved! We had to do something after a week of illness, they were going stir crazy and driving me nuts lol xx

      Reply
  2. Enchanted Moments says

    12/12/2012 at 2:18 pm

    Yes, we made some last year….and gotta love the glitter…it is just magic to kids…we constantly have it in our hair, face…rugs, table tops…grass….EVERYWHERE!

    Reply
    • Jode says

      13/12/2012 at 4:01 am

      Yep…very, very rarely do i use it inside…Ruby wields it like a garden hose in all directions!

      Reply
  3. Meegan says

    12/12/2012 at 9:09 pm

    Need to do this with my 2 year grand daughter…does the glitter just stick in the paint, or did you use glue? Lucky you don’t live here where it is snowy outside ๐Ÿ˜‰
    Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Jode says

      13/12/2012 at 4:00 am

      Hi Meegan…cornflour paint is basically a paste so it does stick for awhile but to keep it sticking longer i added a squeeze of kid’s PVA glue just to help it along. I also mixed a little glitter through the paint as we have been using it for a week now on everything lol! So glad we don’t get snow here, not sure i would know what to do with myself hehe!
      A good tip if doing inside is to aly out a large sheet of butcher’s paper or newspaper and then just scrunch it all up with the glitter contained when finished! Good luck…you don’t even need the glitter, they will still be pretty all the same!

      Reply
  4. Caitlin says

    13/12/2012 at 5:54 am

    They are so wonderful and festive. I haven’t done salt dough ornaments before. I need to, because as simple as they are it’s such a good craft activity.

    Reply
    • Jode says

      17/12/2012 at 2:12 am

      They really are so simple Caitlin…and they will last for ages x

      Reply
  5. Jay @ Learning to play and playing to learn says

    13/12/2012 at 6:30 am

    They look great, we cooked ours a little too fast in the oven and they cracked on the surface. Looking forward to trying the microwave out next time. Loved that Dad joined in also!!

    Reply
    • Jode says

      17/12/2012 at 2:14 am

      Never mind the cracking Jay…everything looks good with paint and glitter!!!The microwave was definitely easier i think! Just quietly i think Dad had as much fun as the girls!!

      Reply
  6. Savannah @ HammockTracks says

    14/12/2012 at 1:50 am

    These are great and it looks like you had a blast making them. There were lots of smiles in these photos. I am stopping by from Kids Co Op. I hope you’ll consider adding this to Look What We Did. -Savannah http://lookwhatwedid-homeschool.blogspot.com

    Reply
    • Jode says

      17/12/2012 at 2:15 am

      Thanks for stopping by Savannah…i will certainly stop by Look at What we Did…thanks x

      Reply
  7. Deborah Alter-Rasche says

    17/12/2012 at 3:08 am

    They looked great in the end. We’ve still not done salt dough. Guess I’d better leave something for next year, lol ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  8. Penny says

    17/12/2012 at 3:57 am

    I haven’t make salt dough ornaments either. I’ll really have to give this a go… when I get enough animal cookie cutters that is!

    Reply
  9. Kate Lloyd says

    17/12/2012 at 5:37 am

    WHA? You can microwave salt dough????? I had no idea and am about to whip up a batch shortly. Thanks for letting me know. No longer do I need to find a few ‘spare hours’ waiting by the oven.

    Reply
  10. Happy Whimsical Hearts says

    18/12/2012 at 12:48 am

    Awesome tip about microwaving! We will try that next time too. I love all the glitter, smart move decorating outside ๐Ÿ™‚ we haven’t made any this year, but loved pulling out last years to decorate the tree!

    Reply
  11. Hannah says

    18/12/2012 at 10:50 am

    Yes, joining the chorus… You can microwave salt dough???? I never knew! They turned out great too. My kids would love this ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  12. Janice says

    19/12/2012 at 5:53 am

    Oh, how wonderful do your salt dough ornaments look!! It is such a fun family activity to do together. I will have to try your recipe, looks great!

    Reply
  13. Amie (Triple T Mum) says

    19/12/2012 at 10:02 am

    I have done salt dough for years and I have never heard of microwaving it! What a great tip! I keep our ornaments for years so I hope the microwave dries the dough just as well.

    Reply
  14. Boy Mama Teacher Mama says

    23/12/2012 at 4:29 am

    I had no idea you could microwave them! Wow! What a timesaver! We always left our to dry out FOREVER! Thanks for the tip!

    Reply

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Jodie
Hi, I'm Jode, Mum to twins and a teen, and an early childhood educator.
I love to share ideas & resources for play based learning
Find out more about me here...

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