Raised salt art is a classic process art project that kids love! See how to do it here along with extension ideas.

I’m pretty sure you have seen today’s project at some point in your life. Either you did this as kid, or you’ve seen it on Pinterest, or your children tried it in school. It’s a classic! Today I’m going to share the basic instructions for this project and then show you some examples of how to expand on it to give it a STEAM or holiday twist.
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Raised Salt Art

Materials
- Card stock Use colorful card stock for a color boost!
- Glue
- Salt
- Liquid Watercolors or Food Coloring
- Paintbrush or straw
- Cups
Raised Salt Art Instructions
Time needed: 10 minutes.
Learn how to do the classic raised salt art project.
- Squeeze glue onto cardstock
“Draw” with glue on your paper by squeezing glue onto the card stock to make lines.
- Sprinkle salt on top
Sprinkle salt over all the glue lines. Make sure to cover the glue as much as possible.
- Remove excess salt
Tilt the card stock to remove the excess salt. Dump the extra salt into a cup or tray to reuse for another art project (DO NOT REUSE THIS SALT FOR COOKING)
- Add color
Dip a paintbrush in liquid watercolors or food coloring mixed with a little bit of water. Gently hold the tip of the paintbrush near the salt. The paint will flow off the paintbrush and onto the salt.
- Keep adding color
Add color to all the glue lines and then let dry.
Tips
- Swap out a straw for the paintbrush Place one end of a straw into your watercolor cup, put your fingertip over the other end and then bring it over to the salt. Remove your fingertip and the a small amount of watercolor will drop onto the salt.

- Try pipettes If you have pipettes use them instead of the paintbrush. It’s a nice fine motor skill bonus.
- Use a tray If you place a tray under the entire drawing you can easily contain and capture the excess salt.
- Use concentrated color This project works best of your paint isn’t watered down too much and the color is strong.
Raised Salt Art Extension Ideas
Here are some more ideas for turning this technique into a STEAM lesson or holiday themed activity!
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