"Better than salt dough"

January 8, 2013 - Day 8

Hey everyone!
Over 150 hits on my blog, wow, I feel loved! Now I just need you guys to subscribe! ;)

Anyway today I am going to test the proclaimed "Better than salt dough". Now as someone who was raised on salt play dough and love it because it is quick and easy, I am very skeptical of anything that claims to be better! So when I saw the pin, (picture below) I knew I had to try it out, however when I clicked it to follow the link it was just another picture, no instructions, so I winged it.
The original pin:

"Better than salt dough? 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 cup baking soda, 3/4 cup water. Bake at 175 for about an hour. Great idea for modern white Christmas ornaments"

 So first I collected my ingredients and tools. Cornstarch, baking soda, water, bowl, wisk, (also had a pan and spoon on standby).

I mixed everything into the bowl, but just as I though it did not thicken up. If you know anything about cornstarch, heat is what activates the thickening agent...

 ...So I moved it to the stove (after a little research because I wasn't sure if baking it was suppose to thicken it)

 I stirred it a little while it was warming, but once it came to a boil I stirred it continuously until it was the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Then I transferred the mix to a bowl and covered it with a damp cloth until it cooled.
When it was cool enough to work with I used a little of the corn starch to "flour" my work surface to keep it from sticking, and knead the dough until it was smooth and not sticky. If you want different colors this is the time to work in your food coloring.

Then you play. I rolled to dough out to make ornaments. After I rolled the dough, I used cookie cutters to make the shapes, then used stamps and ink to imprint pictures to the shapes. You can use the stamps without ink and paint later if you choose.

 Then I used a straw to make the hole in the top to thread string through to hang. To cure the clay you can either let it air dry for 24+ hours or put it in the oven at 175-200 degrees (as low as it will go) for about an hour, but watch it and as soon (or just before) it starts to brown pull them out.

And finally I put what I didn't use in a bag to store. Over all this was fairly easy, not sure how much fun it will be for kids as it is not as instant as salt dough, but it is smoother and lighter so it would be great for crafting things you want to hold on to. So is it better than salt dough...no, but it is better for some projects. I think I will take the left overs to my niece and let he make something. Here is the site that I found with other recipes AND directions to this dough and many others. Email or leave a comment below, and please subscribe!!
~Kelsy






http://www.creativekidsathome.com/activities/activity_8.html#Cornstarch%20Clay