Bread Dough: Creative Projects for You and Your Kids
The best place would probably be the kitchen table. Or if you prefer you can set up a table outside on a nice day and make your projects out there instead. When you begin making the dough it will be very sticky. The following is just one recipe that you can use. First get three slices of white bread, three tablespoons of nontoxic liquid white glue, and three drops of lemon juice. The first thing you need to do once you have gathered all of your ingredients is to remove the crusts from the bread. Tear the white portion of the bread into small pieces and put them into a medium sized bowl. Then add the glue and the lemon juice. Carefully knead everything together. It will only take about ten minutes to from a nice neat little white ball, that is somewhat smaller than your hand. If you want to make more than just increase the ingredients.
Most kids will want to add a little color to their dough to make it a little more interesting. You can either color the dough before you make your first piece of art or you can color it later. Let your child decide. In order to pre-color the dough for creative project you can use watercolors, acrylic paints, or food coloring in liquid or paste form. You can even try using a few natural products to color your dough, such as coffee, cinnamon, paprika or mustard. You can get all of your palette colors together, and then separate small portions of dough from the main lump and knead each piece into a different color. When it is time to help your child design their piece of art let them pinch, mold and stamp the dough as much as they want. If your child is not sure what to make then here are a few suggestions.
Try making a simple napkin ring for starters, or a key for dad or a plaque for the wall. One of my favorite things to make is roses and leaves. What you do is pinch off a small piece of dough, then flatten it and shape it into a roundish rectangle. Bring the ends around so that they meet and slightly overlap. Next pinch off a large piece of dough and squash it between your fingers to make it the shape of a petal. Then wrap the second piece around the first piece so that is stands somewhat upright, but a little away from the center piece. You can continue making several more petals this way, at least two more. Once the center piece and three petals are aligned, make other petals, larger still, continuously wrapping them around so that they lay at a flatter angle. Making leaves is simple and fun to do. Pinch off a small bit of dough and make a leaf shape with your fingers. Use an instrument with a very thin edge and carefully vein the leaf. Do not cut through the dough. After a while you will settle upon your own technique. But to begin with, make roses with only a few petals, as too many petals give the flower a crowded look. For variety, crimp the outside edges of the petals so that they curl under realistically.
After you and your child have finished making your project it is time to dry. Put your pieces of are on a paper plate, and let them air dry for at least three days. Make sure that you rotate the pieces every few hours. Also make sure that you keep them moisture and humidity free. If you seal the bread dough properly you can keep your pieces of art for years. A good dealer must be transparent and non-penetrating. In order to achieve this kind of protections you will need to use at least three to four coast of varnish, or lacquer, shellac or polyurethane. Another item that I have found works well is clear nail polish. You will want to make sure that you allow an extra two days to allow it to dry. This is a project that your children will definitely enjoy and so will you.
