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guest post, Holidays & Parties, Life, Mother Hen Summer, Parenting & Family, Summer

Salt Dough Starfish Kids Craft

by Becky · on May 29, 2017 · 16 Comments ·

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Hi there, it’s Laura from Make Life Lovely. I’m so excited to kick off a summer of fun with your kids!

Living in San Diego, when I think of summer I think of sea shells, long days spent playing at the beach, and all things nautical. Today I’m sharing a fun starfish craft that is perfect for all kids, whether you live near the beach or not.

Salt Dough Starfish Kids Craft | A fun kids activity to fill those summer days.

All you need for this starfish craft is some salt dough, which can be made from just two ingredients you already have and water. So easy!

Salt Dough Starfish Kids Craft | A fun kids activity to fill those summer days.

Salt Dough Recipe

  • 2 c flour
  • 2 c salt
  • 1 c water

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Step 1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until throughly combined. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is soft.

Salt Dough Starfish Kids Craft, Starfish Craft, Salt Dough Recipe, Sea Animals, Ocean Craft, Salt Dough

Step 2. To create a starfish shape, start with a ball of dough. Gently pull out five “blobs” evenly spaced around the center to become the arms. Try to make them as equal as possible. You can always add more dough or take some off if a starfish arm is too small or too big.

Salt Dough Starfish Kids Craft, Starfish Craft, Salt Dough Recipe, Sea Animals, Ocean Craft, Salt Dough

Step 3. Now just gently pull on each arm and shape it to look like a starfish. I like to push on the sides and pull the arms out, then lightly press on the top and sides to make the basic starfish shape.

Step 4. Now comes the fun part! This is where you and the kids get to customize your starfish just how you like it.

There are so many different varieties of starfish out there. A simple Google search will give you lots of ideas!

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We made some starfish that were long and skinny.

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We added small holes in some of the starfish with the top of a pencil to make them look more realistic.

Starfish 2

Some starfish even have small balls of dough added to the top to give them the bumpy look of some tropical starfish.

Step 5. When all the starfish have been created, you can either let them air dry over a few days or bake them. Baking is perfect for those of us who are impatient.

Place them in a 325 degree oven and cook until they are firm to the touch and baked thoroughly. This can take about an hour for a small starfish, and can take 2-3 hours for a bigger, thicker starfish.

Starfish 5

After the starfish have cooled, you can either leave them plan and natural like we did, or paint them. I’ll probably let the kids paint them soon for another activity when they tell me they’re bored this summer. 😉

Salt Dough Starfish Kids Craft, Starfish Craft, Salt Dough Recipe, Sea Animals, Ocean Craft, Salt Dough

Let the kids get creative with the colors they choose and have fun! I hope you’ve enjoyed this fun starfish craft tutorial. If you decide to make these with your kids, I’d love to see them! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @makelifelovely so I can check them out.

Be sure to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more creative parties, crafts, and recipes. Thanks for following!

You’ll love these fun summer craft ideas too!

Ocean-sensory-bin-with-water-beads-tutorial

Ocean Sensory Bin

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Edible Sea Glass Recipe

Paper-Lantern-Fish-DIY

Paper Lantern Fish Craft

Amazing Moana party with lots of food and decorations ideas. Love!

Disney Moana Party

For more Nature ideas check this out!

Nature Kids Crafts and Activities - DIY Butterfly House, painted rocks, rainforest in a jar, salt dough starfish, treasure hunt, hummingbird feeder, pinecone animals and explorer journal

 

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About Becky

Mother to 3 girls, love to craft and create. I love to be silly and play with my family. I also love pedicures, GNOs, Disneyland, and chocolate. Wanna know more about the Chicks? Click here. :)

Comments

  1. Sandi Sersen says

    July 16, 2018 at 6:51 am

    The salt dough starfish look cool. We want to use them for a large group. Can you give me an idea of how many starfish you can make from one batch?

    Thank you

    Sandi

    Reply
  2. Nan says

    July 30, 2018 at 8:31 pm

    How many starfish does a salt dough batch make? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Becky says

      July 31, 2018 at 12:01 pm

      Depends on the size of your starfish. I’d say a rough estimate is about 5-10.

      Reply
      • Pauline Downing says

        February 17, 2022 at 5:47 pm

        How sticky is the dough Becky? Do the kids need to keep flouring their hands? Planning ahead for a preschool class.

        Reply
        • Becky says

          March 8, 2022 at 2:17 pm

          Not too sticky but I’d have some on hand for sure!

          Reply
  3. stephanie ray says

    June 10, 2019 at 3:10 pm

    can i use kosher salt?

    Reply
    • Becky says

      June 10, 2019 at 9:16 pm

      It needs to be a finer grit salt. So as long as your kosher salt is close to table salt consistency it should work out great.

      Reply

Trackbacks

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