The Great Blue Heron or Ardea herodias is a species of coastal herons in Santa Barbara County. Blue Herons nest in colonies known as heronries and stalk saltwater habitats in search of small fish. Their nesting period ends in May, so I decided to set up a natural table in honor of this beautiful bird and season. Download the free template below.
Materials:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup warm (!) water
Heron Template
Wooden Skewer
Thermal Laminator and laminating pouches (optional)
Fine brush
Watercolors (I used these ones)
Coastal Shrubs (optional)
Directions (salt dough base):
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
To create your salt dough base, mix 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of warm tap water (this will help the dough maintain its shape). On a cookie sheet, create an S-shaped salt dough base (see image on left). Using the blunt end of the wooden skewer, poke 5 holes into your base.
Bake for 2.5 hours. Let cool.
Directions (Great Blue Heron):
Print out the Great Blue Heron template posted below.
Using the set of watercolors as well as a fine brush, color your heron using greys, blues, and oranges (see below). Once colored, let dry for 30 minutes.
Cut out the heron using sharp scissors ( always leave a little bit of white around the edges).
Laminate the heron using a thermal laminator (optional).
Tape a wooden skewer to the back of your heron making sure that the blunt end is accessible.
Stick the blunt end of your skewer into one of the holes of the salt dough base.
Add coastal shrubs to the remaining 4 holes (I used dried shrubs to make sure they do not go bad).
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