Nothing quite brings the holiday cheer to your home like Christmas ornaments. For an afternoon of fun with your kids, make a batch of no-bake applesauce ornaments!
You’ll need just a few everyday food items and basic kitchen supplies. Your kids will have a blast cutting out and decorating their ornaments! The ornaments last several years, so they can be a staple of your holiday decorations for many more Christmas seasons. Plus, the cinnamon will smell wonderful in your home.
Before You Get Started
Here are a few tips to keep in mind before you start making your no-bake applesauce ornaments:
- The ornaments are not edible. Make sure your child doesn’t put the dough or ornament in their mouth.
- The ornaments need to be at least 1/4 inch thick. If they are too thin, they may break or curl during the drying process.
- If your kid’s decorations include press-in items, such as googly eyes, have them decorate their ornament while the dough is still wet.
- During the drying process, turn over the ornaments several times for even drying.
- Instead of air-drying the ornaments, you can bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for two hours, turning halfway through.
Ingredients
There are just a few simple ingredients needed to make these no-bake applesauce ornaments for kids. One batch yields about 10 to 12 ornaments, depending on how large they are.
- 1 cup ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 2 tablespoons white glue
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg or cloves (optional)
You will also need a few other items to make and decorate the ornaments:
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Baking sheet
- Wax or parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters in fun shapes
- Straw
- Holiday ribbon
- Decorations for the ornament (googly eyes, glitter glue, paint, etc.)
Directions
- Put the cinnamon, applesauce, white glue and nutmeg or cloves into the bowl. Stir with the spoon until thick, and add more cinnamon until it dries. If it’s too dry, add more applesauce.
- Cover the baking sheet with the wax or parchment paper. Spoon out the dough on top. Cover the dough with another sheet of wax or parchment paper.
- Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough between the wax or parchment paper. Roll until the dough is approximately 1/4 inch thick.
- Have your kids cut out their ornaments with the cookie cutters. They may decorate their ornaments now with press-in items.
- Gather the leftover dough, roll it and cut more ornaments out. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough.
- Use the straw to punch out a hole near the top of the ornament for easy hanging.
- Leave the ornaments on the baking sheet to dry for 24 to 48 hours. Turn regularly for even drying.
- When dry, tie the holiday ribbon through the hole. Have your kids add more decorations to their ornament.
- Hang the ornament on the Christmas tree, the garland or wherever your kids want to spread Christmas cheer!
The Science Behind No-Bake Applesauce Ornaments
Making these ornaments is a lesson on matter and how it changes. The ingredients look different when they mix with the dough than they did on their own. The matter changes again from a wet to dry consistency after you lay the ornaments out. Try changing the quantities of ingredients to see how the ornaments turn out!
The no-bake applesauce ornaments for kids also teach them about aromas. The cinnamon and nutmeg or cloves have a strong fragrance. Use this experiment to teach your kids about the physical property of smell.
Enjoy More Fun Experiments With Science Explorers
If your kids enjoyed these no-bake applesauce ornaments for kids, they would love learning about science with Science Explorers! We are dedicated to teaching science to kids in a way that is hands-on and fun. Learn more about our summer science camp and after school science club on our website.