spicy play dough fun

i know there are many ideas for play dough out there on the net already but it is all too easy to just put out the same old thing every time. we have had brightly coloured playdough, patty pans and birthday candles for nearly a year now. jess loves it but the adults in this house have had enough i think. time for a change...

  i have been interested in the reggio emilia approach for quite some time now. i love all the natural materials that are used for art and craft work and particularly the way the materials are set out but i haven't always thought about how to use some of the principles in my own home. that is until now. having recently discovered kate's beautiful blog an everyday story, i have been so inspired to think about how i am setting out materials and many ideas for using treasures found in nature or ordinary items found around our home.

a few days ago i set out a little provocation for jess... 

two lots of play dough, one with ground cloves and a little clove oil mixed in and the other with ground cinnamon. i added some bowls with whole spices, cinnamon sticks, juniper berries, star anise, cardamon pods, whole cloves as well as some bay leaves and dried orange peel cut into star shapes, all found in my pantry. i set it all out on wooden trays and kept the accessories very simple, adding only a rolling pin, knife for cutting and a wooden spoon for... well just in case it was needed and it looked right.

we started by smelling each spice and learning the names of each one. the play dough also smelt wonderful so that got a good sniff too and then the creating began. spice cakes and then spice people complete with handbags!

the natural earthy colours looked wonderful and with the smell of spices in the air it made for a very sensory activity. jessica loved it and so did i. i could definitely play play dough for a lot longer when using such beautiful natural materials. it had me thinking of all sorts of other natural play dough adventures in the future... fresh herbs from the garden with chopped rosemary and rosemary essential oil mixed into the play dough will be up next.