Aromatic Herb Playdough Recipe with Natural Herb Scents
Are you a preschool teacher searching for an enriching activity that combines creativity with sensory exploration? This herb playdough recipe could be just what you need. By mixing dried herbs into a traditional cooked playdough recipe, you create a home-like aromatic experience that not only engages children’s sense of touch but also introduces them to the calming scents of nature.
Discover how to make playdough that will transform your classroom into a fragrant, hands-on sensory environment.
Imagine a classroom where the soothing scents of rosemary, lavender, or mint create a calming atmosphere for young learners. This herb playdough recipe is more than just any playdough activity; it is an educational tool that seamlessly integrates sensory play with nature.
Preschool teachers and parents can use this scented playdough to introduce students to the world of herbs — plants found in your own kitchen — discussing their textures, scents, and everyday uses. (We also have a lemon playdough recipe, kool-aid playdough recipes, and even playdough cooked in tea, too).
This playdough recipe using herbs and even spices is one of many that you will find in our Playdough Cookbook. It features over 45 playdough recipes that are all completely new and unique, so that your preschoolers always have a fun playdough to use during sensory play.
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45 Playdough Recipes$10.00
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Why Make Herb Playdough?
One of the great aspects of this herb playdough recipe is its flexibility.
You can use nearly any herbs and spices from your spice cabinet to create a variety of aromatic experiences. Dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano are excellent choices, as their scents will be released as the dough is kneaded and played with.
Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves can add a warm, comforting aroma, perfect for creating seasonal themes, like in our autumn playdough ideas post. This is our favorite spice set to use for playdough.
Aromatic herb playdough boosts sensory play by engaging multiple senses. The natural scents from herbs like rosemary, mint, and lavender have a calming effect, helping kids focus and relax during play. Plus, kneading and molding the dough strengthens fine motor skills.
es, fresh herbs can be used to infuse the playdough with scent and texture. However, they may add more moisture to the dough, so it’s important to adjust the other ingredients accordingly to maintain the right consistency. Fresh herbs can provide a more vibrant scent compared to dried ones.
Each herb offers a unique scent and sensory experience. For instance, lavender is known for its calming properties, while mint provides a refreshing aroma. Choose herbs based on the sensory experience you wish to create.
Additionally, read below about how we use this herb playdough recipe is various preschool themes!
Recipe for Herb Playdough
Herb playdough offers a unique, aromatic sensory experience for preschoolers by incorporating the new scents and textures of various dried and fresh herbs.
This versatile activity not only engages children’s senses but also provides educational opportunities to learn about different plants and their everyday uses.
Materials
- flour
- salt
- cream of tartar
- vegetable oil
- water
- Food coloring (optional)
- dried herbs or spices
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How to Make Herb Playdough
This is a tried and true, tested and kid-approved cooked playdough recipe with some added dried herb and spices for a fun and unexpected aromatic twist.
Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients.
In a medium saucepan, combine flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Whisk well so that everything if fully incorporated.
Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients.
Pour in the water and vegetable oil. Stir until the mixture is smooth. It’s going to be soupy and goopy, but that’s exactly what it should look like!
Step 3: Add Food Coloring if Desired.
If you choose to add food coloring to your playdough, this is the time to do it. Whatever color you add to the playdough during this time, once mixed in, is going to be true to the color of the finished product.
If you want to make several colors using the same batch of dough, you can also add food coloring after the playdough has been made.
I like the natural playdough appearance for making herb playdough, so I didn’t add any food coloring. I just allowed the herbs and spices to create color on their own.
Step 4: Cook the Dough.
Place the pot over medium heat. Stir continuously until the dough starts to form and pulls away from the sides of the pot. This will only take a couple of minutes, so watch it carefully.
Step 5: Add Herbs to the Playdough.
Once the dough has formed, remove it from the heat.
If you want to add food coloring in smaller batches, divide the dough into portions and knead in the color. This is our favorite food coloring to use for cooked playdough recipes.
Then, add the dried herbs or spices and knead until evenly distributed. This is a good activity for your preschoolers to do themselves. Kneading and squeezing the herbs into the dough is good work for strengthening hands.
Here is a great post all about playdough hand strengthening activities for preschoolers.
Aromatic Herbs to Use in Playdough
Here are some aromatic herbs and spices that will appeal to young children:
- Rosemary: Pine-like, refreshing, and slightly woody aroma
- Lavender: Sweet, floral, and calming scent
- Mint: Cool, refreshing, and invigorating fragrance
- Basil: Sweet, slightly peppery, and spicy aroma
- Thyme: Earthy, slightly minty, and herbaceous scent
- Oregano: Robust, earthy, and slightly peppery fragrance
- Sage: Warm, earthy, and slightly peppery aroma
Spices to Use in Playdough
Here are some aromatic spices that will appeal to young children:
- Nutmeg: Sweet, spicy, and slightly nutty scent
- Cloves: Strong, warm, and slightly sweet fragrance
- Allspice: Warm, sweet, and reminiscent of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg combined
- Ginger: Warm, spicy, and slightly sweet aroma
- Star Anise: Sweet, licorice-like, and slightly spicy scent
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45 Playdough Recipes$10.00
Preschool Themes for Herb Playdough
Incorporate herb playdough into your preschool themes and lesson plans. Here are some ideas:
1. Gardening Preschool Theme
- Sensory Exploration: Create a mini-garden using herb playdough and small plastic plants, allowing children to “plant” herbs and flowers in their dough garden. Kind of like our Earth Day playdough invitation to play.
- Herb Identification: Provide real herbs alongside the playdough so children can match the scents and textures, learning to identify each one.
2. Five Senses PreschoolTheme
- Smell Test: Blindfolded, children can guess different herbs and spices used in the playdough by their scent alone.
- Texture Exploration: Incorporate different textured items like dried herbs, seeds, or leaves into the playdough for a tactile experience.
3. Food and Nutrition Preschool Theme
- Healthy Food Models: Use the herb playdough to create models of healthy foods, such as herb-infused bread or vegetable shapes, promoting discussions about nutrition.
- Herb Garden Role-play: Set up a pretend herb garden where children can “harvest” herbs from their playdough plants and learn about their health benefits.
4. Seasons Preschool Theme (Spring/Fall)
- Spring Flowers: Use fresh herbs like mint and basil in playdough to make fragrant spring flowers and discuss how plants grow in spring.
- Fall Scents: Use spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in the playdough to create autumn-themed shapes like leaves and pumpkins, discussing the changing seasons.
5. Around the World Preschool Theme
- Holiday Decorations: Create holiday-specific decorations with spiced playdough, such as star anise and ginger for Christmas ornaments, encouraging cultural storytelling.
- Traditional Foods: Model traditional foods from different cultures using herb-infused playdough, exploring global culinary traditions and their aromas.
6. Nature Preschool Theme
- Plant Lifecycle: Use playdough to model the lifecycle of a plant, from seed to full-grown herb, incorporating real herb smells for an immersive experience.
- Nature Walk: After a nature walk, children can recreate what they saw using herb playdough, such as trees, flowers, and animals, integrating the natural scents they encountered. Herb playdough is particularly great for making leaf impressions, too!
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Herb Playdough Recipe
Are you a preschool teacher searching for an enriching activity that combines creativity with sensory exploration? This herb playdough recipe could be just what you need. By mixing dried herbs into a traditional cooked playdough recipe, you create a home-like aromatic sensory experience that not only engages children's sense of touch but also introduces them to the calming scents of nature.
Materials
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ cup salt
- ¾ cup water minus 3 tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons of dried herb of choice (or fresh)
Tools
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- rubber spatula
Instructions
- Measure water and lemon juice in a glass, heatproof, microwavable bowl. Heat in the microwave until just boiling, about three minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the flour, salt and cooking oil. Set aside.
- Add a few drops of food coloring to the water and lemon juice mixture, if desired.
- Slowly pour the water and lemon juice into the flour mixture.
- Stir until the mixture forms into a dough.
- Allow to cool for about ten minutes, then turn out onto the counter top and knead in the two tablespoons of herbs, Allow to cool completely before using.
Notes
Aromatic Herbs to Use in Playdough
Here are some aromatic herbs and spices that will appeal to young children:
- Rosemary: Pine-like, refreshing, and slightly woody aroma
- Lavender: Sweet, floral, and calming scent
- Mint: Cool, refreshing, and invigorating fragrance
- Basil: Sweet, slightly peppery, and spicy aroma
- Thyme: Earthy, slightly minty, and herbaceous scent
- Oregano: Robust, earthy, and slightly peppery fragrance
- Sage: Warm, earthy, and slightly peppery aroma
Spices to Use in Playdough
Here are some aromatic spices that will appeal to young children:
- Nutmeg: Sweet, spicy, and slightly nutty scent
- Cloves: Strong, warm, and slightly sweet fragrance
- Allspice: Warm, sweet, and reminiscent of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg combined
- Ginger: Warm, spicy, and slightly sweet aroma
- Star Anise: Sweet, licorice-like, and slightly spicy scent
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I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
