Autumn
Fall Wreath
Cut the center out of a paper plate and have your child paint the paper plate brown; this will be the base for the wreath. Next, go for a walk to find leaves, acorns, and pine cones -- these will be the substance of the wreath. Once the plates have dried, give your child some white glue and let him or her have fun gluing the nature ...(read more)
Leaf "Stained Glass"
A fun way to show off leaf collections! Collect a handful of brightly colored leaves and lay them on top of the sticky side of clear contact paper. Place an additional piece of clear contact paper on top (sticky side down)and press together. Trim the edges, punch holes in the top and hang with a ribbon. Hang it in a window and your beautiful display of ...(read more)
Name Trees
Cut out a tree trunk with several branches. Then cut out leaves in various colors -- for a spring tree, you can use lighter shades of green; for an autumn tree, use reds and oranges. Have your child write each letter in his or her name on a separate leaf and then glue the leaves on the branches to spell out their name. Lots of fun and ...(read more)
Maple Leaf Snacks
Create a fun, fall-themed snack out of maple leaf shaped cookies or graham crackers. Add a few drops of food coloring to ready-made white frosting or cream cheese. See how many "fall" colors you and your child can create (all shades of browns, reds, oranges, yellows, and deep greens). Have your child create his or her fall snack by spreading the colored frosting/cream cheese onto the cookies with ...(read more)
Leaf Impressions
Next time you're out walking with your kids, collect leaves of different shapes and sizes. After you get home, help your child to place leaves between 2 sheets of tracing paper; then paper clip or tape the papers together. To create the leaf impression, let your child rub an unwrapped crayon over the paper. Once finished, disassemble the papers and discard the leaves. You now ...(read more)
Leaf Puppet
Draw the outline of face and neck, about 1.5 inches long, onto a piece of white construction paper. Let your child color in the face and give him or her eyes, nose, and mouth. Then cut the shape out. Next, help your child to draw, color in, and cut out a dress shape, about 6 inches long. Glue the head to the dress. Then take some leaves from one ...(read more)
Crown of Leaves
Celebrate fall by collecting different colored leaves on your next walk. After returning home, create a headband by cutting a strip from construction paper & stapling it so that it fits snugly on your child's head. Then help your child glue the leaves around the headband to form a leaf crown. Go outside and let him be king for the rest of the day!(read more)
Kids in Hay Bales
My sister does this every year. It's a great spin on the traditional scarecrow, and it's been a lot of fun to see the pants get longer in the hay bales! She takes a large straw bale and a pair of old pants -- one for each child in the family. The kids then stuff the pants with newspaper. (Sometimes the kids also add shoes or ...(read more)
Leaf Collage
Create a collage of leaves to hang in the window. Cut two sheets of clear contact paper to desired size (a square 8' is good). Peel back paper to reveal sticky side of one sheet, and stick on leaves, moss, etc. of various sizes and colors. Then peel and place other sheet of contact paper over it, and you have a collage you can hang in a window. Also ...(read more)
Miniature Apple Pies
Here's a deliciously fun recipe that you and your kids can make together: Put one refrigerated biscuit on a cookie sheet and push it down flat. Put a spoonful of peeled and chopped apples on top of the biscuit. Mix one cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon in a separate bowl. Sprinkle one spoonful of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top ...(read more)
Fall Apple Crisp
Fall is here, and there is a wonderful selection of apples at the store. Have your child help you make an apple crisp -- a wonderfully delicious fun autumn treat! Recipe: 1. Peel and slice 8 big apples. Have your child arrange them on a 9x13 baking dish. 2. Combine in large bowl - 1 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup flour, 2/3 ...(read more)
Corncob Prints
This is a great seasonal art activity. Pour some paint into a baking sheet, and take the husk off of an ear of corn. Have your child grab each end of the corncob and roll the corn in paint until it's completely covered. Then have your child roll the ear of corn back and forth or in different directions on a piece of paper. You can repeat ...(read more)
Leafy Cinnamon Toast
A great cooking activity to do with your kids: Using a leaf cookie cutter, cut a leaf shape out of a piece of bread. Butter the bread and sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Toast under your broiler, and enjoy a fun autumn treat.(read more)
Lunch Bag Pumpkins
Begin by stuffing a brown lunch sack with newspaper. Then twist the top closed and secure with tape. Next, help your child to paint the bottom section of the sack orange and the top green for a stem. Once the orange paint is dry, let your child use black paint to draw lines down the side of the pumpkin. This is fun to do on a ...(read more)
Thumbprint Tree
This is a fun art project for little ones! To get ready, cut out a tree trunk and branches on brown construction paper and glue it to a light colored piece of paper. Then, take your child's thumb (or let your child do this part herself) and put it on a green ink pad. Next, let your child begin putting thumbprints all over the branches to add ...(read more)
Fall Treasure Hunt
Fill up a big bin with leaves and hide some "treasures" in among the leaves -- candy or small toys, anything works! If there are multiple children, there could be a "race" to find the treasures among the leaves, or one child can have fun finding them all himself!(read more)
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Continue Halloween fun in the kitchen by toasting pumpkin seeds with your preschooler! They love sorting through the pulp to dig out seeds. Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds. 2. In a small saucepan, add the seeds ...(read more)
Leaf Size Sort
On your next nature walk with your child, collect leaves that are small, medium, and large sizes. After you get home, create a sorting system for child. Tape one example of each size leaf onto the side of a paper bag. Put the rest of the leaves in a pile, and have your child sort the leaves into the correct bag, according to size. In the fall, ...(read more)
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A Great Book Rhymes!
Kids are a funny bunch. They are often loath to change and anything new. But still, our little ones are open to so much -- and so much more than we more ossified parents are! Think of poetry: preschoolers happily read and repeat poems with ease and
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