Apple Scented Homemade Play Dough & Counting Mats for Fall!

Fall will be here in just a few short weeks!  The Apple Scented Play Dough Recipe smells wonderful while cooking!  It is a great way to add sensory play to the printable counting mats this fall!

Apple Scented Play Dough and Numbered Counting Mats –  ApplePlaydoughMathMats

Recipe Ingredients for Apple Scented Play Dough:

1 cup flour

½ cup salt

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 cup water

Red food coloring (add until desired color is achieved)

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

 ¼ tsp cloves

 1 tsp allspice

(You could also use 1 ½ tsp of apple pie spice instead of the individual spices).

Measure all ingredients and cook over medium heat until the mixture forms a ball. Turn the dough ball out on the table or countertop and knead until very smooth. Store in a sealed freezer bag.

Materials needed: One ApplePlaydoughMathMat.pdf (linked above) per student, apple shaped cookie cutter(s), apple scented play dough from the recipe above or commercial red colored dough. Print off the numbered play dough mats. Laminate for durability. Have students use a small apple shaped cookie cutter to cut out apple shapes. Place the required number of apples on the mat next to the numeral.

Extension for older students: Have students try to read the number words on each line and place that many apples in each row. Extension for older students #2: Use the addition or subtraction equations to figure out how many apples are needed in each row.

Extension for younger children: Use the pdf pages with the apples for children to use to place one dough ball/apple cut-out upon each apple. This helps students keep track as they count and add on more apples to their row. Have the students count out loud as they go.

To see instructions for a paper plate Apple Tree Life Cycle Craft and more Apple-themed activities for young kids, visit here!