Colorful Leaf Printing

The leaves are finally changing here in Virginia, and the trees are all golden and russet in the afternoon sunlight. On our walk today we came across a tree with huge yellow leaves and immediately plucked the largest for this craft. I've been just dying to try out leaf printing since I ran across the idea on Pinterest.

 We started by squirting different colored acrylic paints onto a baking a sheet. I then smudged them with paper towel into the general shape of the leaf.

 E pressed the leaf into the paint and then carefully placed the leaf onto the paper, pressing it some more. We made sure we placed the leaf vein-side down.

 She peeled back the leaf to reveal a gorgeous fall print. We made two prints, but there was still plenty of paint left on the pan. Kleas used one pan for an entire class of preschoolers, but since I didn't have other (awake) children in the house, I printed off this tree template for E to paint.

 Although its meant as a wedding keepsake (get your guests to ink their fingerprints onto either side of the tree), I added the word "thankful" and let E fill it in with her own sweet prints.

I truly am thankful for smudgy prints and the dear little fingers they belong to!

Autumn Walk by Kelly Asbury

I mention this book every year, but that's because I love it. Ignore the average illustrations and instead listen to the rhythmical, stimulating language throughout the book. After reading this to your kids, you're both going to want to romp through fallen leaves, sip hot apple cider, and glory in all that autumn offers.




Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert

A classic Ehlert, this book follows the life of a sugar maple from the viewpoint of a young child. Gorgeous watercolor collages fill the pages while the narration provides interesting information about the beginnings of the maple tree.

Paper Tube Owls

Our temperatures plunged this weekend from the 80s to the 50s, suddenly ushering in Fall. After three years of kid-crafting, I have to admit I'm a little tired of pumpkins and apples. So we're celebrating the season with owls!

Okay, so I have no clue what owls have to do with fall, but they seem Halloween-ish, so we're going with it. I found this cute craft idea on Frugal Family Fun, showed E and then let her loose. I cut out the wings for her from scrap fabric, but she did the rest on her own. Aren't they fun? I think they'd make great placeholders for an owl-themed board game. I've got dibs on the red!


Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

If we're going to talk about owl books, we've got to start with Owl Babies. Beautiful illustrations help tell the story of three little owls who awake to find their mama missing. Owl babies are born at different times and these three feathery siblings are infused with distinct personalities. The story is simple and geared toward very young children, but the illustrations are lovely and worth a look at any age.

Squirrely Fun!

Our neighborhood squirrels are full of antics this fall: chasing each other, searching for acorns, and teasing my poor dog. I found a wonderful little book that celebrates these busy little creatures...

A Squirrel's Tale by Richard Fowler

This interactive book lets your preschooler move the main character literally through the pages to find his missing nuts. The cardboard squirrel is easily pushed through slots on each page as you read about this forgetful little animal and his quest to find all his nuts. The story is a little weak, but the fun of moving the squirrel through the story more than makes up for any plot deficiencies. A pouch on the front of the book holds the squirrel when not in use and a diagram on the back cover gives instructions for how to make a replacement squirrel.

You know if I couldn't resist pushing that little guy through the story, your kids will be even more entertained!

Pinecone Squirrels

We made our own little squirrels with a few of the pine cones the real squirrels had yet to eat.

You'll need:
- a pine cone
- 4 brown pipe cleaners
- 2 puffy balls: one medium, one tiny
- googly eyes

Gently braid three pipe cleaners together and fold in half twice to form the tail. Bend the tip and tuck into the back of the pine cone. Glue the larger puff to the narrow point of the pine cone. Add googly eyes and the tiny puff to make the face. If you'd like, cut off a small piece of a spare pipe cleaner and fold in half to make the ears. For the arms, cut the remaining pipe cleaner in half and fold the ends in, tucking the whole thing into the underside of the pine cone.

Collect some acorns for your squirrel to eat!

I'm linking up to:
- stART @ A Mommy's Adventures

Donut Acorns

Scrumptious acorns are popping up all over the blogosphere. I adore these buckeye acorns @ The Stories of A to Z and these hershey kiss acorns @ Lipstick and Laundry are so cute! But it was donut hole acorns which spoke to me today. So we swung by Dunkin Donuts after school and bought a bag of munchins for our afternoon snack.

I love this treat because it is easy and fast. Just spread a little peanut butter on the end of the donut to make a "hat." Dip the peanut butter end in a bowl of chopped peanuts.

Insert a piece of pretzel stick into the peanutty end for the stem.

Voila! An adorable, edible acorn even a child can make! And let me tell you: they were delicious!

Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery by Ellen Stoll Walsh

You'll recognize these little guys from Mouse Shapes and Mouse Paint. They are just as cute in this "mystery" story about an acorn and an oak tree.

Dot and Jabber need a mystery to solve. When they see a young oak tree far from the great oak tree, they try to discover how the acorn which sprouted the young oak traveled so far. After some investigation, they determine that a squirrel carried the acorn... then they snack on the evidence!

The story is simple but engaging enough for toddlers and young preschoolers. It's the illustrations, however, that make the book. I just can't get enough of Walsh's torn-paper mice!

Easy Kids Scarf & Review: The Fox in the Dark

It's getting cold here in Virginia and the days are about to get a lot shorter as we leave daylight saving time this week. I have the perfect book for a dark, chilly evening, and a great little craft to go with!

The Fox in the Dark by Alison Green

A rabbit scurries quickly into his little home, relieved to escape what he's sure was a fox in the dark. Soon, there's a knock at the door: "Rat-a-tat-tat!". It's just duck, hoping he could stay the night because there's a fox in the dark. With another "Rat-a-tat-tat!" both mouse and lamb seek shelter from the fox. Rabbit is weary of his house guests when he answers a final knock at the door, only to discover it's the Fox in the Dark!

The story is told in delicious rhymes that delight with each turn of phrase. "Rabbit grumbles a bit. It's not really his habit/ to share with a duck a bed made for a rabbit." I love the subtle humor throughout the story, revealed in the verse and enhanced in the excellent illustrations. For example, at one point little mouse raises his hand to say "I need to wee," and a page later we see lamb cleaning up mouse's puddle. ("Wee" and "puddle," by the way, are wonderfully satisfactory end-rhymes to their individual verses.)

The fox in the dark ends up being a little baby fox who has lost his mama. When Mama Fox predictably knocks on the door, she proves to be a gentle soul, who offers her furry warmth to all the animals to snuggle for the night.

E, my husband, and myself all thoroughly enjoyed this story, as did E's kindergarten class when I read it aloud to them last week. I even had several children hit me up for an encore during lunch! You can't ask for a better endorsement.


Disclaimer: The Fox in the Dark was provided to me courtesy of Tiger Tails Books free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review.


Easy Kid's Fleece Scarf

I don't have a warm fox to snuggle up to, but I did have some fleece lying around. Last winter, Target sold small fleece blankets in their dollar spot. I picked one up, thinking I could use it for something, and now I have!

What you'll need:
- strip of fleece about 8-9" wide and 4' long
- sewing machine (if desired)
- pony beads (if desired)

1. Fold your strip of fleece lengthwise and pin. Sew together, leaving the ends open. (If you have a good quality fleece, you can skip this step. Just cut your fleece to desired width and leave.)

2. Turn inside out and iron to press.

3. Sew the ends shut, leaving 3" on each end. I used a fancy stitch since I was too lazy to switch out the thread in my machine.

4. Cut strips to create fringe on the end, leaving up to 1/4" at the top.

5. Thread pony beads onto several of the strips, tying off the ends. E used tweezers to help her thread the beads.

6. Stay warm and stylish all winter long!

I'm linking up to:
- ABC & 123 Show & Tell
- Fireflies & Jellybean's SOYS

MYO Pumpkin Patch

Target has these adorable pumpkin coasters in their party/paper products aisles. I originally bought them to use as invitations, but the possibilities for crafts and activities is just too tempting! They're perfect to string together into a fall garland, draw faces on for the 5 Little Pumpkins, or simply scatter across the yard to create a pumpkin patch.

I wrote numbers 1-10 on the back of the pumpkins and spread them around the yard for A to find and place in her bucket. The idea was to introduce her to the numbers as she picked up each one.

The fatal flaw in my plan was believing my two year old would want to pick up the pumpkins and place them in her bucket.

It never occurred to me that she would prefer the pumpkins on the ground where they lay.

"Would you like to put the pumpkins in your bucket?" "No tank you." "Um, okay..."

I guess I'll wait until E gets home from school. Then we can use the pumpkins to demonstrate the mathematical concept of doubling, like in the book:

Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Diane Ochiltree

E loves this book, and while I'm not as enthralled with the story of a raccoon that accidentally dumps 16 pumpkins down a hill, I like the math concepts hidden inside. The main character goes to load up her wagon with pumpkins for Gramps. At each stop she makes, she adds twice the number of pumpkins, starting with 2, then 4, and so on until she gets 16. Here, the wagon tips and spills the pumpkins down the hill. Sam is upset she ruined Gramps pumpkins, but he hands her a spoon and together they turn the bruised pumpkins into pumpkin pie.

5 Little Pumpkins

Five Little Pumpkins by Ben Mantle

What would October be without the Five Little Pumpkins? The classic poem is a staple in preschool classrooms and homes this time of year. I have seen numerous versions in print, but this newest release is one of the cutest yet!

Five darling little pumpkins of various shapes and sizes wander into a haunted wood filled with friendly witches, cuddly black cats, and smiling ghosts. By the end of the poem they roll out of the dark and spooky - but entirely non-frightening - forest and off into the sunset.

While I could do without the ghosts, I appreciate how the illustrator took "spooky" characters and rendered them harmless with sweet and friendly faces. My girls and I love the illustrations, and we all got a kick out of the "out went the light" page which shows the pumpkins shining brilliantly as jack-o-lanterns. I can't wait to read it again after we carve a jack-o-lantern of our own!

Pillsbury Pumpkin Cookies
I'm in the middle of getting our house ready to sell, so time for elaborate crafts and messy projects is at a minimum. Yet I also want to make the point that literary-themed activities don't have to be complicated or uber-creative.

Taking five minutes to read a book together and then acting out the story with store-bought cookie dough can be just as enriching as anything the most creative educator could conceive.

It's simply about teaching your children to love literature and time together... and of course a good cookie or two!

Disclaimer: Five Little Pumpkins was provided to me courtesy of Tiger Tails Books free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review.

Apples: Apple Pie Playdough

We haven't made play dough in awhile, so when I saw this recipe for apple pie play dough I figured it be a great start to our Apple Week.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of salt
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 small container cream of tartar
• cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice
• red food coloring 

Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan. I suppose you could measure out the spices, but I let the girls decide how much.

Stir constantly over medium-low heat until it firms up into non-sticky dough. (Tip: don't do this after an "Abs & More" class at the Y. It's a workout in itself!)

 Let your dough cool and then enjoy! I thought it smelled just like an apple pie. E said it smelled "sorta" good.

Both girls thought it was a lot of fun!

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall

Ideal for 2 and 3 year olds, this beautifully illustrated book explains how to "grow an apple pie." Two young sisters describe their apple tree through the seasons. We watch as it changes from a bare tree in winter, to beautiful blossoms in spring, small green apples in summer, and then full ripe apples in autumn... apples just perfect for an apple pie! Also in the tree are two robins who hatch their eggs, raise their chicks, and then teach them to fly. The short sentences and vibrant illustrations will hold the attention of young children, while introducing them to the seasons and lifecycle of an apple.


I'm linking up to:
- ABC & 123's Show & Tell