Put down the remote control and get ready for some serious fall
fun with your family:
* Go for a nature walk! Collect leaves, small twigs, nuts, colorful
rocks and other items to decorate for fall.
* Decorate a wooden or papier-mâché picture frame with
found treasures from your nature walk.
* Practice letter and number recognition with a leaf hunt. Trace
and cut leaf or pumpkin shapes from orange construction paper. Make
26 shapes, one for each letter of the alphabet. Write a letter in
uppercase on one side, and its lowercase match on the opposite side.
Place the leaves in various places around a room: propped against
pictures, on bookshelves, windows, etc. Make different games: Call
out random letters and ask your child to find them; cut out pictures
from magazines and ask the children to find the letters that spell
that word. This game can be adapted for any season or holiday. For
instance, use hearts for Valentine's Day, clovers for St. Patrick's
Day, and so on.
* Collect coats, warm clothing, blankets, and food items to donate
to homeless shelters and emergency relief shelters. Winter is right
around the corner, making this a much- welcomed and appreciated
gesture.
* Make leaf pictures. Draw an autumn scene on a piece of construction
paper. Outline your picture with glue and sprinkle crushed leaves
on top to decorate.
* Load the family into the car and visit a pumpkin patch! Spend
time choosing just the right pumpkins: different shapes and sizes,
some for carving, and some for painting.
* Fill the house with pumpkin heads! Decorate miniature pumpkins
with paint, markers, glue, googly eyes, and yarn for hair. Anything
goes!
* Make feeders for squirrels and birds. Make simple pine cone feeders
by spreading a mixture of suet and birdseed onto a pine cone. Tie
a piece of string to the cone and suspend it from a low tree branch.
For a different type of feeder, fill a small wicker basket with
nuts, seeds and corn feed, and attach it to a tree in your yard.
Deborah
Shelton is the author of The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast
Activities for You and Your Little Ones. Visit The Five Minute
Parent for fun rainy-day activities, family links, and a free
email newsletter filled with craft ideas, guest articles, contests
and so much more! http://www.fiveminuteparent.com.
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