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.
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 Recipe
- 2 c flour
- 2 c salt
- 1 c water
Step 1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until throughly combined. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is soft.
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.
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!
We made some starfish that were long and skinny.
We added small holes in some of the starfish with the top of a pencil to make them look more realistic.
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.
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. 😉
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.
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You’ll love these fun summer craft ideas too!
For more Nature ideas check this out!
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
How many starfish does a salt dough batch make? Thank you.
Depends on the size of your starfish. I’d say a rough estimate is about 5-10.
How sticky is the dough Becky? Do the kids need to keep flouring their hands? Planning ahead for a preschool class.
Not too sticky but I’d have some on hand for sure!
can i use kosher salt?
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.