Petal Play!

Wanna get the biggest bang for your buck on those beautiful fresh cut flowers your husband bought you? Or that you asked your husband to buy you? Or that you bought for yourself? I used to feel a bit wistful when wilting began, but then I discovered the wonder of petal play! From cutting and dissecting to tearing and crushing and grinding with a mortar and pestle to drying and crumbling and mixing into doughs or tea parties or making petal soup or petal potions... The options for play are as limitless as the imagination. You can certainly make use of flowers found in nature when the season permits, but definitely be sure to pick only ones that are OK for picking! You can also inquire at local florists or garden shops about whether they have any flowers or loose petals on the move list--some will be happy to donate these to a classroom or home.





And then, just add wonder, curiosity, imagination and play! Here, for your viewing (and reading) pleasure, is the story of some rose and tulip petals that happily lived a full life (and even a second, third and fourth life)...

First, we plucked and cut the heads off of the best looking flowers that remained. We collected them in a couple of our wooden mortar and pestle sets. I especially like using wooden ones with kids since the ceramic ones can break and these are pretty sturdy and lightweight. You can often find them in stores like Home Goods or TJMaxx quite inexpensively and occasionally at a thrift store if you're lucky!



The first stop on the Petal Express was into a batch of playdough. Yes, folks, that's Spiderman rolling out a petal playdough pancake in our backyard...nothing particularly out of the ordinary in this house!






Meanwhile at the picnic table...

It was nearly time for Afternoon Tea. In addition to leftover petals on the move list, we also had a meyer lemon about to be composted. But--alas, one more stop to make along with some tea bags, water, and only the loveliest (secondhand) dishes and utensils...

Yes, folks, that's Spiderman and a Ninja Turtle serving Afternoon Tea in the backyard. Nothing to see here, keep it moving...

Well that was fun!
But wait...
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Still more petals left for play...

Perfect for a Friday afternoon tea party for two most eager Cabbage Patch dolls.

I wonder if my husband knows when he picks out flowers for me that even as I am clipping the stems and arranging them in a vase or two, I'm already envisioning what we're going to play with them in a couple of weeks when they've worn out their dining room table welcome!

Probably he does...

Maybe it's time for another bouquet?

But until then...(and even especially after)...

Happy Playing!

Make Your Own Spring Scented Playdoughs

The official start of Spring is just 16 days away, but who's counting? And with these easy to make Spring Scented Playdoughs, you don't have to! You can dig into this well before you dig into the garden beds. We love playdough in any season here, and really need no special occasion to make a batch (or get out some store bought) for fun. And when I need a little sensory fun of my own, making it myself is quite enjoyable (shhh, don't tell my kids)!

I had the house to myself for a bit last Sunday and wanted to mix up a new batch, but I couldn't decide on a color or even a scent or add in--so I picked more than one! You can stick to one, a combo or even concoct your own. Here's how I made my three Spring Scented Playdoughs and a peek at how we've been playing with them here:

For all three recipes, I began with this base:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 heaping tablespoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 cups water

Cook over medium heat on stove-top, stirring until a dough thickens and forms in the center of the pot. Remove from heat and let cool before kneading any lumps into the dough. Divide into smaller balls for however many varieties you're making (or leave whole if you're doing just one). *You can add in the optional essential oils for a stronger scent.* Kids would definitely enjoy the part of kneading the add-ins into the dough once it's cool enough to handle. To avoid staining your hands, I like to poke a few indentations into the dough and add a drop of food coloring into each one. I knead it until it is thoroughly mixed and then decide if I want to add more. For a more pastel look (like mine) use less color, for a bolder shade, use more. Liquid watercolor can also be used in lieu of food coloring.

Store your playdoughs in airtight containers or ziplock bags between use to avoid drying out. I typically keep it around for a couple of weeks--using fresh or dried leaves and flowers can shorten the shelf life a bit so keep an eye (and nose) on it!

Back to Basics Petal Playdough: This one is definitely one to get the kids in on. You can make your basic dough recipe in advance if you prefer and have it cooled and ready to go. You'll also need:

• some fresh flowers, preferably on their way out anyway
• scissors
• mortar and pestle

Here's where the fun comes in. You get to cut, tear, crush and grind those colorful petals to your heart's desire. Y had a lot of fun with this part--almost as much fun as he did kneading the results into our playdough. We happened to have some old tulips and roses on their way to the compost bin and they were given a lovely second life in this playdough.

Fresh Mint Playdough: for this one you'll add in...

• green food coloring
• chopped mint leaves
• peppermint essential oil or extract* 

Rose Petal Playdough: for this one, you'll add in...

• pink food coloring (or red)
• dried rose petals such as those bought for soap-making or potpourri, or dry, crush and mix in your own (like in the back to basics petal playdough)
• rose essential oil*

If you're a Playdough Purist, you'll probably only want one color out at a time. If you're a Wild Child like I am, let it all hang out and intermingle and mix. You only live once! We loved playing indoors in our little Garden Shop making a colorful garden tea party. We also had a lot of fun taking it outside to make birthday cakes for Dr. Seuss's birthday yesterday.

Spring will be here soon enough with its own bounty of playdough add-ins and petal play. So stay tuned! And until then...

Happy Playing!

Lavender Playdough

• purple food coloring (or red and blue)
• dried lavender buds
• lavender essential oil*