As spring teases us with a few brief moments of sunshine and warm breezes (between the snowflakes!) you might start to think of fresh scents that naturally fill your home during the warmer months. You might also want to get a jump start filling your home air with some of those refreshing scents without having to burn candles or spray aerosols. Here's a relatively inexpensive way to get your children involved in creating some of their own scents to fill the air in your home tonight.
Lay out some options from which your child can choose his/her favorite scents and build a stove-top potpourri. Of course, you will have to man the stove, but the fun part is picking, choosing and building the layers of aromas to enjoy together! I like to use a small pot filled only about 1/3 of the way with water which I bring to a slow boil, then reduce to a very low simmer before adding my choices of scents. I leave the lid off the pot so the steam fills the air with wonderful freshness!
This is a great way to use items that might be nearing the end of their useful life on shelves, in fruit bowls and in the fridge. For instance, lemons, limes, oranges that might not look very appealing to eat will get a second chance at life when sliced up and put in the simmering pot of water. Add a cinnamon stick, some cloves and a few allspice pods, and smell the wonders of nature as if the spring breeze was already blowing through the curtains ...
Needless to say, you can add and mix a variety of items from your pantry, spice rack and essential oil collection; however, I like to use up things that might otherwise get pitched before resorting to my good stock. For instance,when my baking liquids (vanilla extract, almond oil, etc.) are nearing their expiration dates, I will add a few drops into the water for another layer of heavenly scent. I also look for certain ingredients which I don't use as often; this might include anise seeds, vanilla beans, licorice root, ginger, etc. Sometimes these items are in seed or root form, some are powders or liquids, but most of them should be replaced every year or so, otherwise they lose their potency or simply become stale. Whatever the case may be, this is a great way to give them new purpose rather than tossing them away.
The goal here is to teach your children the value of finding a new use for things, and to get creative from an artistic point of view while spending quality time together and building memories for tomorrow. Talk about which smells might mix well with others and make notes about the smells you really like together as you experiment. That way, the next time you try this together, you won't have to guess the combinations you liked the last time. (Nudge, nudge ... this is also a sneaky way to get your kids to journal about the experience!)
You will love reliving the moments from your previous potpourri encounters when you refer back to your journal and add more to it each time! Don't forget to make sidebar notes about the discussions this experience sparked ... these are priceless 'snapshots' you'll love to read about many years from now!
In summary, this simple little exercise will create bonding time for today, along with golden memories for tomorrow. It is also a valuable lesson in re-purposing items instead of throwing them away. And, of course, it also adds a breath of fresh air to your home, and is a great antidote for cabin fever!
Enjoy,
;-Deb
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