Aromatic embellishments

One of the worse things about air travel for me is the smells.  Exhaust, body odors, the stale air that comes out of those little twisty fans above my seat.

Conversely, when things smell good, I really appreciate it. I love natural aromas. I have a very sensitive nose so that even when I water my garden, my soul is inundated with the smell of herbs.  I especially love fresh lavender in the garden.

There have been many intentional aromas added to the preschool lately (including last week's pumpkin pie paint).  I know we have a few sensitive noses in our group who might appreciate some aromatic embellishments to everyday activities.

Pumpkin Pie Playdough

Just add some pumpkin pie spice (and color) to your everyday playdough recipe.

 Br noticed that when he pressed it into the placemat, it made an imprint in the playdough.

This is the day that Stephanie learned that it is indeed okay that Za discovered using playdough in the flour sifter and in fact it creates a pretty cool outcome.

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Almond-Scented Moon Sand

We added almond extract to this recipe from Juggling with Kids and our bakery-themed dramatic play corner smelled amazing!  We used the most random combination of flours and it worked beautifully with mineral oil.   

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Peppermint Liquid Transfer Activity

I came across this idea on Pinterest and thought, why not make a great idea greater by adding peppermint extract and red food color? We passed this bowl around the circle when I was showing it to the children and we literally only spilled a single drop : )  And they loved the smell.

Aromatherapy in the classroom

Inhale...

One day, every person who walked into preschool said, "It smells so good in here!".  Before they even saw the table, they could smell the rosemary.

I don't have much of a green thumb, but a couple of years ago I decided spontaneously to plant a scented herb garden.  Lavendar (both varieties), rosemary, spearmint, chocolate mint, sage, Italian parsley, cilantro, lemon thyme, and basil.  The hardiest half that survived are still there in the garden!

Last week, we used trimmings from the aroma garden at a sensory table that smelled wonderful.

Be was surprised when I responded to his question "What can we do with these?" with "Whatever you feel like doing!" He immediately got to pouring and grinding and letting me smell his herbal blend.

I won't tell you how to present it to your preschoolers.  My suggestion is to just see what they do.

Items needed:

Herb clippings

Sea salt (a nice medium for grinding the herbs 

and attracts those children who are all about pouring)

Rolling pins

Mortar and pestle

Scissors

Containers 

A table cover (optional, I used white butcher paper to see the prints after rolling)

Variations:

add colorful flowers (non-poisonous of course)

add water in small glass jars with droppers and watercolor brushes

add oil in a small squeeze bottle 

Add tweezers and magnifiers

Exhale...