Last week we made aromatherapy play dough using natural dyes and essential oils. There was so much interest on my Facebook and Instagram pages, and dozens of messages asking for the recipe. Ask, and you shall receive!
Aromatherapy Play Dough is a beautiful sensory activity for young kids that combines creative play with the powerful benefits of essential oils.I added a a few drops of Balance, which is not only one of my favourite blends, but also my answer to "calming the farm" before bed and managing heightened toddler emotions when we need it. Aromatherapy play dough is such a great activity for quiet time, it can help to de-stress but also gives your child the opportunity to create and learn (and let's be honest, I ahve as much fun with it as my daughter does!).
When it comes to creating natural dyes, have a look what you have got in your fridge. You will be totally surprised by what you can create. Some of my favourite colours have been made by using onion skins, beetroot, spinach, red cabbage, berries, avocado skins and spices (like turmeric!).
✧ The soft apricot colour came from avocado seeds✧ The earthy orange colour was made by adding paprika✧ The yellow colour was made by adding turmeric
Aromatherapy Play Dough Recipe
2 cups plain flour
1 cup salt
4tbs cream of tartar
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups coloured water (*see notes below)
5 drops of essential oil
Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar, olive oil and water in a saucepan over medium heat for approximately 3 - 5 minutes, or until the mixture congeals. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before adding the essential oils. Store in an airtight container to avoid the play dough drying out.
Notes:
I prepared my coloured water first by simmering avocado seeds in a pot of water for around an hour. To make a few different colours, do the same process with different ingredients, and then just split up the play dough batch before adding the water and putting it on the stove.
