Hi there! Welcome! I’m glad you’re here! Do you ever feel like the two hours after dinner seem to drag on for eternity? Or is that just me?
Everyone is cranky and snappy and whiny. And it’s only 6:11pm.
I’ve found that the best way to deal with this is to distract my kids. If they are busy doing something, they aren’t fighting.
Usually.
If they aren’t fighting, I can cross a couple things off my to-do list. Like the the dishes or picking up toys or laundry. There’s always laundry.
This play dough has been my go-to lately. It’s fun, it’s easy and it smells amazing. Sure, it dries your hands out a bit, but that’s just the excuse you were looking for to give yourself a little DIY mani after the kids are in bed, right?
PUMPKIN SPICE PLAY DOUGH
Pumpkin Spice Play Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tbsp cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- extra flour (I added about another 1/2 cup)
- orange food coloring (I used red and yellow)
Pumpkin Spice Play Dough Directions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the salt, water, flour, and spice over low medium heat. Stir to combine. Texture should be like glue.
- Turn off the heat and add the food coloring to get the shade you desire. I put in about 15 yellow drops and about 10 red drops. You can adjust the ratio to your liking.
- Mix until well combined and texture is smooth.
- Add additional flour, approximately 1/4 cup at a time and mix until the paste becomes a dough. It should form a ball and be slightly difficult to stir.
- Remove from heat and let the dough cool a bit. It will be hot.
- Sprinkle flour generously on counter top and, as soon as the play dough is cool enough to handle, dump the dough on the floured counter top and knead in the flour until it is no longer sticky. Keep adding flour until you reach your desired consistency.
Store in an air-tight container or ziptop bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Play dough keeps for 4-6 months, depending on environment.
Tips & Tricks to get the most out of your Pumpkin Spice Play Dough
- Older kids can totally help with this, especially the kneading part. Just make sure the play dough is cool enough for them to handle.
- The cream of tartar will help preserve the dough, so don’t skip it if you want it to last longer. If you just need a few play sessions or a one-time-use activity, you can omit it.
- There is nothing in this play dough that will harm your kids if ingested, although it won’t taste very good. So… they probably won’t eat much of it and will only try it once. There’s the silver lining.
- We love using cookie cutters when we play with play dough. I especially love this set of cutters – there’s a full set of letters that are perfect for some fun letter practice, a great variety of holiday shapes and some fun everyday shapes – like animals and transportation – too.
