September 5, 2013

Pumpkin Spice Latte Oobleck

I love pumpkin spice lattes, and my boys love Oobleck.  Sensory play meets mama's favorite fall treat in this fall play recipe!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Oobleck - A sensory experience that captures the very best scent of fall!

Fall Recipe for Play - Pumpkin Spice Latte Oobleck

We are back for day four of our Fall Recipes for Play series.   Monday - PlaydoughTuesday - PaintWednesday - GlowingThursday - Scented Play, and Friday - Nature.  Today we having a fun scented fall recipe for play.  The theme of the day is fall scents.  I don't know about you, but when I think of fall the first scent that comes to mind is a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.  If you don't drink coffee you probably can't relate, but for most of us who love coffee, Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes mark the start of fall.  I wanted to incorporate the scent of a pumpkin spice latte into our play, and after toying with a few ideas I knew that Oobleck would work well.

Who doesn't love pumpkin spice lattes?  This recipe for play captures the aroma of a pumpkin spice latte right in a sensory bin.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Latte Oobleck

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Supplies:
Invitation to make pumpkin spice latte Oobleck

Directions:  Oobleck is made by combining equal parts of water and cornstarch.  To make our pumpkin spice latte Oobleck I used watered down coffee, leftover from my morning pot.  It was warm but not hot.  I watered it down quite a bit.  I set up an invitation for my boys to mix their own Oobleck lattes with cornstarch "cream" in one mug and the watered down coffee in another.

Making pumpkin spice latter Oobleck

The boys loved mixing their own lattes!  One word of advice is to add the water (or coffee) sparingly.  Watery Oobleck will not be thick enough to be a solid.  The cool factor of Oobleck is that it is both a liquid and a solid.  You can scoop up a handful, and almost immediately it runs out between your fingers.  Add water slowly to ensure the texture is thick enough.

Making pumpkin spice latte Oobleck with real coffee

Tank and Peanut (25 months) generously sprinkled the pumpkin pie spice into the Oobleck mixture, and everyone got to work mixing with their hands.

Mixing pumpkin spice latte Oobleck - a unique sensory experience for fall

As the coffee and spice blended into the cornstarch the color faded, so we added some brown liquid watercolor paint.  We have actually made this Oobleck twice, and we only added the paint the second time.  Both ways were wonderful.  If you have the paint, add a bit, but don't sweat it if you don't.

Oobleck with a fall twist - Pumpkin spice latte style!

The second time we made Oobleck lattes my boys truly got into it.  JZ (6) played in it the longest.  Of course when he stuck his feet into the mixture his baby brothers had to climb in too. 


Long after everyone else got washed up JZ sat on the edge of the bin, mesmerized by the Oobleck.  The smell was incredible, like a real pumpkin spice latte.

Sensory play with pumpkin spice latte Oobleck

The first time we made it I packed everyone in the car and drove to Starbucks immediately after our play time.  The smell had me craving an actual latte.

How to make pumpkin spice latte Oobleck for fall sensory play

Tank surprised me by coming back to the Oobleck after JZ was done.  Tank usually doesn't spend a lot of time with our sensory bins.  After today I'm wondering if he just wants them to himself.

Fall inspired sensory play that smells just like a pumpkin spice latte

Without his brothers he was free to play and explore in his own timing.

Easy to make pumpkin spice latte Oobleck for fall sensory play

I shouldn't be too surprised.  He is always trying to sneak tastes of my lattes.

Tasting pumpkin spice latte

For more fall recipes for play follow me on Pinterest.

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Pretend play with pumpkin spice latte Oobleck

Be sure and visit these other fantastic sites to see their scented play, and come back each day this week for more fall recipes for play!

Scented Tea Pretend Play from Fun at Home with Kids
Homemade Scented Candles from Blog Me Mom
Erupting Fall Playdough from Housing a Forest

Starbucks inspired sensory play that smells just like a pumpkin spice latte

7 comments:

  1. and now I want a latte! This looks like a blast! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Wow, this looks like such an amazing sensory play activity! Pumpkin spice latte oobleck - officially added to our to-do list. :D

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  3. Wow - so clever! You are SO creative!! Pinning =)
    Beth

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  4. This is amazing! My kids love their babycinos. They would be so happy to play with this. Thanks for linking this up to the Kids Co-Op. I'll be featuring your post in my recipes roundup this week. xo P

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  5. This was our first ooblek experience and it was a complete hit! Thanks for the idea -- will be linking back!

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    1. Linked back today!
      http://studyathomemama.blogspot.ca/2013/10/pumpkin-week-part-two.html

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  6. WOW, that looks like so much fun! I might have to try this one! Thanks for joining Challenge and Discover!

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