It is getting cold and dark so early these days and while this is my favorite time of the year, I think my son would disagree! He loves to be outside playing in the dirt or chasing our beagles in the back yard…I know colder weather is just around the corner and I am preparing myself lately with indoor activity ideas to keep him active and me sane! Here are some cute Fall activities that you could enjoy doing with your little ones.

I  also wanted to share a few Fall playdough recipes that smell so delicious, found on pinterest courtesy of Playdough to Plato.

Photo and recipes courtesy of: Playdough to Plato

Red Apple Cider Dough Playdough Recipe

 1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup of  apple cider

4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

red food coloring

2 cups flour

1/2 cup of salt

4 tablespoons of cream of tartar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Pumpkin Pie Playdough Recipe

 Tip: Dough might be slightly lumpy because of the real pumpkin puree.

1 cup of pumpkin puree

3/4 cup of water

orange food coloring {or red and yellow}

4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 cups flour

1/2 cup of salt

4 tablespoons of cream of tartar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ginger

1/2-1 teaspoon of cloves {depending on your fondness of this spice}

Spicy Ginger and Nutmeg Playdough Recipes

Tip: Split the dough in half, scenting and dying one yellow for ginger dough and the other brown for nutmeg dough.  Then add about a tablespoon of dry spice for each scent but you can add as much or as little as you choose.

 3 cups of flour

3 cups of water

3/4 cup of salt

6 tablespoons of cream of tartar

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

yellow food coloring for ginger dough

brown dye for nutmeg dough {mix equal parts red and green dye to make brown}

1 tablespoon of  ginger spice

1 tablespoon of nutmeg spice

Directions:

1. Measure the dry ingredients {flour, salt, cream of tartar, and spices} and dumped each into a medium sized bowl.
2. Next, measure and mix the wet ingredients {apple sauce, cider, oil, and dye} in a medium sized pot. Then we heated the wet ingredients on medium, stirring often until it bubbled.  The house smelled so yummy during this step – it made A dance around the kitchen in excitement. {I prefer using real apples and cider to scent my dough, instead of scented oils, so the smell isn’t overpowering.}
3. Once it was bubbling, remove the pot from the heat and add the dry ingredients. Stir until the playdough begins to form, then dump the mixture onto the counter to cool.  The dough is sticky at first but, once cooled and kneaded, the stickiness disappears.  This dough can store for several weeks in an airtight container or bag.