Making Christmas Ornaments in Your Kitchen

It's good to know that amid all the commercialism and expense of the season, there are still simple, fun and inexpensive activities you can do with your children to make the season special...and you won't even need to make a trip to a crowded shopping mall. Creating ornaments for your Christmas tree in your own kitchen can be as simple as making cut out sugar cookies. And spending time creating something together with your child makes memories that money can't buy.

These directions will enable you to make one-of-a kind holiday ornaments in two simple steps.

Here is a list of all the necessary ingredients and tools:

Ingredients -

1 C corn starch

2 C baking soda

1-¼ C water

Other Materials Needed -

Measuring cups

Cookie cutters

Drinking straw

Cooling racks

Rolling pin

Flour

Acrylic or craft paints in holiday colors

Small craft paint brushes

Pencils and other item to paint shapes on ornaments

Glitter (optional)

Ribbon, cord, thin wire or yarn

Step one: Cook corn starch, baking soda and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture looks like mashed potatoes. Cool slightly and roll out with rolling pin on a surface covered with flour. Cut with cookie cutters. Work quickly before the dough cools off.

Make a hole in the dough with a drinking straw for hanging the ornament.

The recipe makes 15-20 ornaments per batch depending upon how thin you roll the dough. Try to keep the dough fairly thick to avoid breakage.

Place ornaments on a cooling racket and place near a heat register to dry, if possible. It will take two or more days for the ornaments to dry thoroughly depending upon the temperature and humidity in the room and the thickness of the ornaments.

Step two: Once the ornaments are dry, you can paint them with a paintbrush and craft or acrylic paints. Younger children can paint their ornaments all one color and simply sprinkle glitter on them. Older children will want to paint details on their ornaments. Dip a pencil eraser in the paint to make round shapes on the ornaments. Use other tools for painting other shapes.

After the paint has dried, put a length of wire, cord, yarn or ribbon through the hole in the ornament and tie a knot. The ornament is now ready for your tree.

This holiday craft provides an inexpensive way to trim your holiday tree. Imagine the pride your children will feel in having made the ornaments on your tree!

While these homemade ornaments will probably never become family heirlooms, with proper storage, they will adorn your family's Christmas tree for years to come.