Valentines Day is is almost here but you still have time to make some inexpensive gifts to share. Salt dough bears were made for the teacher assistants who help in the car rider line at the school of my grandson.
It is always nice to do a craft with your child or grandchild for them to share with the people who help them all through the year. My grandson and I think after they get these treats that the teacher assistants will know he is grateful for all the help they give in getting him into the right car at the end of the day. No doubt they will think he is Beary Nice for thinking of them.
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup warm water
Put flour and salt in bowl and mix ingredients together.
Add warm water a little at a time while mixing flour and salt.
Continue adding water until mixture is dough like in appearance.
Knead dough
Make bears then cook in oven.
Most recipes call for the oven to be set on a low temperature and cook slowly for an hour.
I set my temperature to 300 degrees and check it every 20 minutes until my bears are tan in color. I left my bears in for 1 ½ hours. They come out tan instead of dough-white and are hard. This works better for me but experiment with your own oven temperatures.
Supply list
Flour
Salt
Water
Toothpicks
Sharpie -I make the eyes for the bears with a the sharpie.
Paint brush
Red acrylic paint
Tan acrylic paint
Varnish or acrylic spray. When I do not have either one of these then I paint it with clear nail polish but be careful when painting over the areas you use the sharpie pen on because sometimes it runs.
Directions
Make a ball shape for the body then make a smaller one for the head so the two are proportioned correctly. Break a toothpick in half and stick it in the body and then put the head on top of the toothpick. Moisten the head and body with water, you can use a paintbrush or Q-tip to make sure the two pieces adhere to one another. The toothpick helps the head to stay on straight and not lean when in the oven.
Make four small long rectangles. Make two a little larger and use them for the legs and the smaller two for the arms. Adhere them to the body with water like you did for the head and body.
Shape a heart and adhere it to the front arms.
Shape ears and adhere them to the head.
Fashion the face by making a tiny oval and make it the muzzle of the bear. Then add a tiny circle on top of the muzzle for the nose. You can take a toothpick and make a hole for the mouth before cooking or add the mouth with a sharpie after you cook your bears.
Cook your bears and let cool.
Paint the hearts red. Paint the muzzles,inside of ears and paws tan.
Draw the eyes and any other feature you want to add with the sharpie.
You can write a message on the heart or leave it plain.
After the paint dries then spray with acrylic finish.
Body construction
Sit the bear on a piece of wrapped chocolate or candy of your choice.
Place on plastic wrap and bring up ends over bear and tie with ribbon.
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