Easy Smudge Sticks- With Kids

I love a good smudge stick. I love the act of burning a once living plant and seeing it smoke. Smoke is also one of my favorite things to photograph. We had been buying smudge sticks at Whole Foods but honestly the prices is freaking outrageous. I mean $14 for what I can get in the backyard seems totally ridic. The kids and I decided we should stop buying them and start making our own. It turned out to be a million times better then expected and way easier.

The first step was to gather our sage, rosemary and pine leaves. We had rosemary in our garden and we bought sage from the market. We then headed out into the woods for pine. This was a fun activity and the kids loved collecting fallen branches after particularly windy night had brought quite a few down. We also had fun finding little forest critters that were lingering among the fallen branches. And yes, the kids wanted to take ALL THE SLUGS home but cooler head prevails after I explained that our home is not well suited for the needs of a slug. ( The last slug we "cared" for at home met an untimely demise. RIP in slug).

We then bound the plant material with string and set it out to dry for several weeks. Once the leaves were completely dry we took them for a test burn. They burned way better and smelled much more glorious then the store bought sticks- so take that whole foods!

Well that's all for now regarding our smudge sticks! Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram here.