There’s nothing like the magic of Christmas, especially through the eyes of a child. One of the ways we’ve been preparing ourselves for the season is by making a spice mix to use in both cooking and play dough recipes. Here it is below:
You will need:
We put in a teaspoon each of:
- Cinnamon
- Coriander
- Chocolate powder
- Brown sugar
- Ginger
- Nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon)
- Lemon peel extract
- Orange peel extract
- Cloves
- Pestle and mortar
- Teaspoon
- Spice jar
What to do:
I honestly just let Z (almost 4) direct this activity. I laid out the spices as shown above and she added them to the pestle and mortar. It was a great way for her to use her sense of smell to adjust the recipe to her liking.
We then poured the mix into a spice jar to use in baking and for play dough too.
Age Recommendations:
This activity is best suited for children who are aged 3 and over. Just be wary of nutmeg as it is a hallucinogenic.
Benefits:
- Early math skills: counting teaspoons, measuring
- Sensory: identifying the scents (just be careful with the nutmeg!)
- Hand-eye coordination: scooping and pouring
- Fine motor skills: holding the teaspoon
- Language development: describing / identifying each ingredient
- The World Around Us: building up an association with Christmas
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