# Spices and Play Dough Invitation to Create
> Set out cardamom, cinnamon and clove scented play dough with whole cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon sticks, and let kids smell, poke, build and create. It's an open-ended sensory and fine motor invitation you can put together in a moment's notice.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/play-dough-play-spices-play-dough/
- Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 10 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class
- Skills: sensory-exploration, fine-motor, creativity, problem-solving, balance, sequencing, scents
- Cautions: wheat-gluten, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Cardamom play dough
- 1 piece Cinnamon play dough
- 1 piece Cloves play dough
- Cardamom pods
- Whole cloves
- Cinnamon sticks
- 1 piece Large tray or plate (household)
- 3 piece Small bowls (household)
- Rose petals (optional)
- 1 piece Fork (optional) (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of cinnamon play dough: Store-bought play dough with cinnamon powder kneaded in (If you don't want to cook or make play dough, buy some and add scents to it.)
- Instead of cloves play dough: Store-bought play dough with a little clove oil kneaded in (Adult adds the oil. Use only a little.)
- Instead of cardamom play dough: Store-bought play dough (Add scents to it, like the cinnamon and clove versions.)

## Safety
- Whole cloves, cardamom pods and broken bits of cinnamon stick are small enough to choke on. Supervise closely, especially with children who still mouth things.
- The spices and spiced dough are for smelling and creating, not eating.
- Spices can sting eyes. Keep spicy fingers away from faces and wash hands after play.
- If you scent store-bought dough with clove oil, an adult adds it. Use only a little and knead it in well, because concentrated clove oil can irritate skin.
- Check for spice sensitivities or allergies before play.

## Before you start
- Make cardamom, cinnamon and cloves play dough, or buy play dough and knead in cinnamon powder or a little clove oil.
- Fill small bowls with cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon sticks.

## Steps
1. Set a ball of each spicy play dough on a tray with small bowls of cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon sticks.
2. Pick up a ball of dough and take a big whiff. Which spice do you smell?
3. Press cloves and cardamom pods into the dough.
4. Stand cinnamon sticks up in the dough and add rose petals to make a garden.
5. Build a tall structure by balancing cinnamon sticks and dough on top of each other.
6. Flatten some dough and make a face or a person with spices. Use a fork to press in a pattern.
7. Line up cardamom pods in a row along a roll of dough.
8. Show off your creations and smell them one more time.

## Tips
- It appears too elaborate, but in reality you are just setting out spices and play dough, that's all.
- It's a good break from unscented play dough. Watching the kids take big whiffs (if they like cinnamon or cloves) is a joy to watch.
- Expect little ones to dump a handful of cloves on the dough. There goes the fine motor opportunity! They may move on to arranging the cinnamon sticks.
- Our 3 year old's play was more sensorial, while our 5 year old always ends up making something. Building with cinnamon sticks taught her a lot about balance.
- It's a good way to introduce different scents and spices.
- A reader who does tot school and school for her kids ages 4, 5 and 6 plans to use it in an In the Kitchen unit to teach kids about spices. (from readers)

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

Remember our [**cardamom homemade play dough recipe**](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-playdough-recipe-cardamom-playdough/)? Yes we made 3 kinds of spicy play dough - cardamom play dough, cloves play dough and cinnamon play dough. Today's post is about the simple "invitation to play and create" with the spicy play dough. Materials:

- [**Cardamom Play dough**](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-playdough-recipe-cardamom-playdough/)
- Cinnamon Play dough
- Cloves Play dough
- Cardamom pods
- Cloves
- Cinnamon Sticks

This play dough play idea is not that complicated. It appears too elaborate but in reality you are just setting out spices and play dough, that's all. If you don't want to "cook" or "make" play dough simply buy some and add scents to it. Buy play dough, add clove oil to it, add cinnamon powder to it and you are DONE! It is a good break from the unscented play dough. Watching the kids take big whiffs ( that is if they like cinnamon or cloves scent) is a joy to watch. When the children articulate their pleasure it is even more joyous to watch. Simple materials yielded big results as you will see down the the post. Our play dough play invitation.  Yep, that's pretty much the first thing my 3 year old will do when given a ball of play dough.  With access to so much new accessories ( we love our cookie cutters, googly eyes and pipe cleaners as well) she was in sensory fine motor heaven. She seemed to be attracted to the cloves and dumped a handful of them on the play dough ( there went the fine motor opportunity!) Slowly she moved on to the cinnamon sticks and started arranging them around the cardamom play dough.  I enjoy watching play and creations unfold during open ended play like this one. So much potential for the developing creativity, fine motor skills, problem solving skills. My 3 year loved the sensorial experience the spicy and fragrant play dough provided. She added rose petals and created a garden as she called it.  So many play dough cakes for me!  **My 5 year old's experience** While my 3 year old's experience was more sensorial my 5 year old's was very creative - she always ends up "making" something. She started off sticking the cinnamon sticks in the clove play dough and was later building some kind of structure. I should tell you this taught a lot about balance to her- she enjoys building activities and did a great job making her creation structurally sound. *{talk about physics in play dough!}* Here is the peacock she made.  Since she did not quite get the plumage right, she had to re do the whole thing from the scratch! Are all first borns perfectionists or is that a gross generalization? Now the peacock with the plumage. I love her attention to details.





She enjoyed creating this face with the clove play dough. She used a fork to give the girl a skirt.





After that she moved on to just simply enjoying arranging the spices on the play dough. Or that's what I thought.



Nope. wrong! She was sequencing the cardamom pods for ..



creating a spice monster!



My kids and I really enjoyed this play dough play activity. This is something you can put together in a moment's notice.

**For more [play dough recipes](www.blogmemom.com/category/play-doh/) and play activities visit our category page**

If you are a play dough lover like us, then "The Homemade Play dough recipe book" is great for you.The book is filled with simple, easy, homemade play dough recipes with a variety ranging from cooked version, no- cook version and bunch of simple doughs you can make right at home. Think about all those finger muscles getting a great workout while squishing, pinching and cutting play dough. Play dough can do more than strengthening finger muscles! Talk about encouraging creativity and independent thinking!This book with its wide variety of homemade play dough recipes and other great ideas for loose parts play will come in handy.

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