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Play to Learn

A delightful preschool experience

Cinnamon Ornaments

These Cinnamon Ornaments are a hit every year and make the classroom smell amazing.  They fill multiple roles – a sensory activity, a craft, and cooking too!

This recipe has been used in the Play to Learn classroom for years, and always turns out great.  The giant container of cinnamon was found at Costco.

Creating the Cinnamon Ornaments

Mix the dough together like playdough.  No cooking necessary!

Allow the students to play with the dough, and then they roll it out– thick is good– and use Christmas cookie cutters to make shapes.

It is messy, but it smells so good! Doubling the recipe yields about 30 ornaments.

To keep track of which ornament belongs to which student, place parchment paper down on the cookie sheets and write the students’ names next to the ornaments.  Then poke hole through each ornament using a straw.  Be sure to leave a little space to make the hole strong enough.

Teaching preschool is not a neat and tidy job.  This is what the center looked like when we were done!

As for drying – the ornaments can air dry for 3-5 days.  They are also able to be baked in an oven at 200 degrees for about 3-5 hours.
When they are dry, label them on the back with a sharpie marker.

Decorating the Cinnamon Ornaments

There are many options on how to decorate the ornaments.  Some prefer a rustic look and don’t do anything more than tie a pretty ribbon or twine through the hole.  Students can also paint the ornament fronts with glue and then add glitter.  Puffy paints replicate icing very well too!
 
The ornaments need to dry again!

We threaded a pipe cleaner through each hole to make a hanger.  Ribbon or twine work well too but the teacher often has to help with the bow.  Here’s a finished ornament:

This project is a bit labor-intensive, but it is full of learning opportunities. The students measure and mix the ingredients.  They use their fine motor skills to roll and cut the shapes.  They count and arrange the shapes on the tray, then use their fine motor skills again to paint and sprinkle glitter.
Treated carefully, these ornaments still smell wonderful for years of enjoyment!

Looking for more seasonal activities?

These ornaments and more can be found in this post about gifts students can make.

Want to add a little HoHoHo to your holiday circle time? Check out this super fun and free Santa activity!

Need more sensory in your classroom?  This seasonal holiday slime will keep students smiling!