Practice Math and Get into Fall with This Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend!

Fall is here, and many of us associate it with Pumpkin Spice in everything. Here’s how you can make your own homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend, and how to use it!

Move over, pizza fractions. The kitchen and math go hand in hand, especially if you’re baking! We’re getting practical with this fun fall kitchen activity, making a homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend that’s perfect to store or to pack up and give as gifts!

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, even quintupled. Make as much Pumpkin Spice as you want. We’ll give you some age-appropriate tips on how to emphasize the math.

Ready? Here’s the basic blend:

• 5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 3 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix everything well in a big bowl, and store in airtight containers like a nice mason jar!

For the littlest helpers: Show them how to level a measuring spoon, and have your child count every spoonful they put in! If you’re making two or more batches, use addition to tally up the right ingredient blend.

For intermediate helpers:

1. Have them identify the lowest common denominator. Did they pick the ¼ teaspoon? They’d be right.
2. If you’re making more than one batch, have them multiply the numbers of every ingredient by the number of batches you’re making. If you’re not doing more than one batch, though, ask them to do the math on how much they’d need.
3. Have them convert the number of tablespoons of cinnamon to teaspoons. (There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon!)
4. Ask how many times the batch would have to be multiplied to make all the numbers whole.

For older helpers:

1. Convert your ingredient list to a ratio!
2. Convert the entire ingredient list to match the lowest common denominator.
3. Go big! Imagine you’re starting with a cup of ground cloves. Scale up the rest of the recipe to match.
4. Bonus points: figure out how large a container you’ll need to make your batch by the volume of ingredients.

Need some inspiration on how to use pumpkin spice? Check out these resources, and not only will you get some sweet, delicious treats, there will be plenty more math! Happy baking!

• 7 Ways To Use Pumpkin Pie Spice | Kitchn (thekitchn.com)
• 30+ Best Pumpkin Spice Recipes - Pumpkin Spice Inspired Desserts—Delish.com
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe | Food Network Kitchen | Food Network