Toddler Activities: Make Your Own Holiday Potpourri

Description

Toddler Activities: Cinnamon smelling potpourri with tangerine peels and kumquats make this a beautiful Fall or Christmas decoration. Add this with some fragrant orange peels, pine cones and cloves to make your own holiday potpourri.

cinnamon potpourri

Materials

  • Cinnamon Dough Recipe Here

  • Small Cookie cutters or small metal decorative cutters

  • Lime or Tangerine peels

  • Kumquats(6-7)

  • Whole Cloves

  • Star Anise (10-12)

  • Artificial berries and leaves or flowers for additional color

  • In the Fall you can add: Acorns, Pine Straw, Sweet Gum Balls, Colorful Leaves

Other Materials

  • Toothpick
  • Container such as small bowl or vase
  • Orange or Lemon Peels add color but will be need to be cut by an adult. Tip: Use a small wooden block on top of your cutter and press to cut shape out

Steps

  • Follow Cinnamon Dough Recipe and roll out onto wax paper or parchment paper. Roll until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
  • Cut out your cinnamon potpourri pieces using cookie cutters or molds.
  • Bake 175-200 degrees F for about one hour turning every 15 minutes or let air dry for a couple days.
  • Press metal cookie cutters into tangerine peels.
    • Make holes in kumquats with a toothpick, this will allow for the whole cloves to be inserted easily. Press 3-5 cloves into kumquats.
  • When cinnamon pieces are dry arrange it all in a small vase or bowl.
holiday potpourri

Tips and Suggestions

  • Change cutters according to holiday/season.
  • Cloves are a preservative and the fruit may turn brown where they are place but that is part of the drying process.
  • Anise stars can be glued to the cinnamon cookies or just added to the potpourri mix
  • Pour into a small lacy bag, tie with ribbon for a sachet.
  • Have child close eyes and see if they can identify the different smells.

Educational Benefits

  • Helps develop fine motor skills.
  • Explore sense of smell.