Ahrens Academy has some extra projects for math, science and art today!

The ingredients to make apple pie doh...  All edible, but no body wanted to actually eat it.  Smelled SOOOO yummy in the house and actually wasn't as messy as real Play Doh.  Even I played with it!  I found the recipe on Pinterest.com, but I had to modify due to available ingredients.  Honestly, we didn't feel like we missed anything.  

Our modified recipe 

1 c flour

1/4 c salt

1/2 tbs veg. oil

1 c water

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

red food coloring

*Original recipe on "Where Imagination Grows" blog that was found on Pinterest.  She had a bunch of clever apple themed projects.  Check her out!

Cook until the dough pulls away from side of the pot and and starts to become dry.  Ours was absolutely perfect.  Directions mentioned that if it is sticky, add a little flour.  Like I said, ours was perfect.  

Add the dry ingredients and mix.  Add the liquid ingredients and mix over a medium heat.  Took about 5 minutes. 

Mixing the liquid in.  

Directions say allow to cool and then knead.  We halved the loaf and waited about three minutes.  3.  Not long from start to finish.  

When I have the children split something, I let one cut it, and the other pick the half they want.  Just a little tip to make things super fair.  Shay got to cut today.  

Smelling it.  They were acting goofy.  It really smells like apple pie.  

He took off his robe after a while, and chose to duck down to take a picture with his hand print creation. 

I said, "Let's all make a cat head!"  Here's mine. The kids did use the cookie cutters, but somehow, I missed taking some pictures of those.  

I decided to pull out a quick science lesson on matter.  This is plasma.  I remember doing this in the upper grades of elementary school.  Corn starch and water.  Goes from a liquid to a solid and back again- over and over again.  It was a huge mess, but both kids enjoyed it as much as they loved making and playing with the home made Play-doh.  From the moment we started making the Play-doh and plasma, to the time we finished washing our hands- about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Art, science, math... hands on-- can't get better than that!  

Shay's cat face in her handprint.

Stored them in their own plastic baggies and promised that they could grab them during school breaks the rest of the week.  I think we will make ornaments to dry and hang this coming weekend.  (I will explain that later this week.)  

Before dinner, we went for a long walk into the next neighborhood.  We collected leaves and did leaf rubbings when we got home as I made dinner.  

Different leaves they found.

Charlie says he had never done this before.  Shay remembers doing it with me a few years ago.  I love nature in the Fall.  Not too hot, less bugs, lots of changes, etc.