Peppermint Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar
This peppermint playdough recipe is not your basic playdough recipe. If you’re looking for a new and cool (literally) way to make homemade playdough, then this is a recipe you have to try!
This mint scented playdough not only smells like candy canes, making it an awesome Christmas playdough, but it also feels cool to the touch, kinda’ like snow. This is absolutely the recipe to pull out when making winter playdough.
There’s nothing like the cool, refreshing smell of peppermint, especially around the holiday or winter season. This is a unique playdough in that is not only smells like fresh mint, but it is also cool to the touch, which adds another sensory element it. Preschoolers love this playdough!
The base of this playdough recipe can be found in my Playdough Cookbook. If you love this recipe, then you’ll be sure to love the other 45 recipes in the cookbook. That’s plenty of recipes so you can have a different playdough for every sensory experience.
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45 Playdough Recipes$10.00
Why Make Peppermint Playdough
The texture and fragrance is that makes this playdough worth it. Combined, this playdough is an incredible for sensory play for preschoolers.
The texture is cooling and feels like real snow due the this being an old fashioned baking soda playdough recipe. The baking soda in the dough adds an extra element of sensory exploration as it feels both soft and firm at the same time, and even slightly grainy.
Gluten Free Playdough Without Cream of Tartar
This playdough is also gluten free, which makes it a great choice for our little learners who have severe allergies. Baking soda is allergy sensitive and commonly used by dermatologists because of it’s versatility and non-allergenicity.
Ingredients to Make Peppermint Scented Baking Soda Playdough
This is a playdough recipe my grandmother used to make for me. While it doesn’t call for flour in the ingredients list, it’s still made of typical household ingredients.
- baking soda
- corn starch
- water
- cooking oil
- peppermint extract or peppermint essential oil
How to Make Peppermint Playdough
This is a stovetop recipe, but it is quick and easy! You can pull a batch together in just a few minutes.
In a medium size saucepan, whisk together the baking soda and cornstarch. Slowly pour in the water and the cooking oil, stirring thoroughly to eliminate any lumps. Add the peppermint extract or peppermint oil is using.
Continue stirring, gently and constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble around the edges. Turn the heat down to low, and keep stirring until the mixture forms a dough and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
By now, it’s either going to smell like a candy cane factory in your home or mouthwash. But the kids will be underfoot in the kitchen because the fragrance of the peppermint will bring them in.
Roll the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool completely.
Then knead. Every playdough recipes ends in kneading the playdough. This helps make sure that the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and there aren’t any lumps in the playdough. This is also the time to work in any additional food coloring or peppermint scent.
Make Candy Cane Playdough
I love using this playdough recipe in my other winter sensory bins, but if you want something more for Christmas, then try these ideas:
- Make half the dough red.
- Leave the other half of the dough white and then challenge your preschoolers to roll out ropes and twist them together.
- Divide the dough into thirds in red, green, and white.
- Some like to use pink food coloring to make pink peppermint patties.
- Similarly, you could do this with light green as well to make mint peppermint patties.
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45 Playdough Recipes$10.00
Is Playdough Good for Sensory?
Playdough is a sensory activity that engages multiple sensory systems, making it an exciting and educational experience.
Feel the texture of the dough as it stimulates your sense of touch. Squeeze and press to engage your proprioceptive system, which senses pressure and force. And for an added dimension, try scented play dough to stimulate your sense of smell.
Here are some other sensory benefits to playing with playdough:
- proprioceptive – sensory system that senses force and pressure
- pushing in cookie cutters or using palm of hand to flatten the dough into a pancake
- sensorimotor – playdough can be calming, like when sitting and squeezing it between the fingers.
- tactile – the largest sensory system in the body, our sense of touch
- texture and playdough consistencies
- how the playdough us manipulated by the tools and objects used
- olfactory – the sense of smell
- every playdough has a scent, even if you don’t add one
- preschoolers explore their sense of smell when using scented playdough
What to Make Out of Playdough
This is an amazing, cooling, refreshing homemade playdough without cream of tartar, and one of my favorites to make during our holiday season and during our winter theme lesson plans.
Here are some of the playdough tools and manipulatives we like to add to our peppermint playdough sensory activities. With just a few add-ins, your preschoolers can make so many different things!
Store homemade playdough in an airtight container. Baking soda playdough will last a little longer if stored in the fridge.
Easy Playdough Recipes with Scent
There’s no reason to stop at this peppermint playdough recipe. Try some of our other scented playdough recipes!
Gingerbread Playdough
‘Tis the season for all things sugar and spice, including playdough! But this homemade playdough recipe also doubles as a cookie recipe too, making it even more fun for kids!
Dandelion Playdough
Inside of this post we will show you how to make dandelion playdough and create a vibrant yellow play dough using simple ingredients that you have around your home.
Watermelon Playdough
This Kool aid playdough recipe adds a playful twist to any traditional recipe. The kool aid makes the playdough smell so good and the colors are perfection.
Lemon Playdough
This lemon playdough recipe will awaken all the senses! The base is a classic cooked playdough recipe, but since it has a few add-ins it make it a lemon scented playdough, it smells just like summer!
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45 Playdough Recipes$10.00
Peppermint Playdough Recipe
This peppermint playdough recipe is not your basic playdough recipe. If you're looking for a new and cool (literally) way to make homemade playdough, then this is a recipe you have to try!
Materials
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tsp peppermint extract OR 5-10 drop of peppermint essential oil
Tools
- medium suacepan
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- parchment paper
Instructions
- In a medium sized saucepan, thoroughly mix the baking soda and cornstarch.
- Turn the stove on to medium heat and slowly pour the water into the saucepan, gently mixing. Add food coloring if using.
- Add the cooking oil and continue to stir until the mixture begins to bubble. Turn down the heat to low and keep stirring until it forms a dough and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then drop onto the counter and knead until the dough is well formed.
- Once cooled, if the dough is sticky, knead in more corn starch, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Notes
Since this playdough doesn’t require flour for the binding, it is a good alternative for children who are gluten free.
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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.
