Teddy Bear Den

Every bear needs a den to hibernate, including teddy bears…right?!?! After reading Leaves by David Ezra Stein I realized that Bear didn’t have a place to sleep and Benjamin had to fix this little problem; to solve this issue we created a den for Bear.

Materials:
Cardboard box
Packing Tape
Scissors
Glue
Leaves

Instructions:
Tape box closed, cut a hole on the side of the box, large enough to place your child’s bear inside. Have your child glue leaves onto box, be sure to cover box. You might want to line the inside of the den with some dry leaves or fiberfill to keep teddy nice and cozy.

You can make a sign for the face that says “Good Night, (name)! See you in the spring! Don’t worry about not seeing your teddy bear for several months. Bears often wake up during the winter months and come out and wander around a little before going back to sleep.

Fall, How I Love Thee

I love fall; it’s my absolute favorite season, I love the smells, colors, weather and FOOD! I can’t explain it but every year around this time something magical seems to happen; I feel as though I’m glowing and filled with an abundant amount of love and happiness.

I’ve truly enjoyed the past week with my family; as the temperatures drop we’re bringing out or fleece jackets and blankets, we’re curling up on the sofa watching movies, sipping hot chocolate and playing together on the floor. The hustle of the previous season has died down, no where to be other then together as a family and enjoy the beautiful scenery God has provided for us.

Oh how I love cold weather food! Saturday morning I made cinnamon waffles with caramelized apples. Sunday morning we attended a semi-annual all you can eat pancake breakfast, Sunday evening my husband cooked a whole chicken using our grill rotisserie while Benjamin and I made a pumpkin pie. Tonight I made a pot roast, garlic knots and a pumpkin roll.

The boys and I attended a Halloween party on October 29th where I realized Benjamin inherited my (lack of) dance skills…I’m so sorry baby boy! We went trick-or-treating later that night; this is the first year Benjamin fully grasped the concept of Halloween, he was very excited to be able to visit with all the neighbors and for “ANDY”! Though Hayden didn’t completely understand what was going on or why his big brother took off running with him in the stroller while mommy and daddy were putting on coats (apparently we were taking to long and Benjamin anxiously started down the sidewalk without us), he loved being outside, seeing all the costumes, smiling at everyone and helping hand out candy.

Saturday night we went to Corn Cob Acres; the boys enjoyed their first hay ride, barrel rides, moon bounce and GIANT corn bin. Sunday was all about trains, after our delicious pancake breakfast we headed to Strasburg Railroad and ended our day at the Toy Train Museum.

I’m not sure what the up coming weekend has in store for us but I’m pretty sure it’ll involve pumpkin spice pancakes and Alpacas.

Autumn Begins!

Magic Pumpkin Seeds
Preschool Rainbow

Materials
Pumpkin Seeds
Small Pumpkins
glue
Glitter

Directions
While your children aren't paying attention, decorate pumpkins and seeds with glitter.

Take kids outside, hand each child a pumpkin seed and inform them the seeds are magical. Make up a dance (we jumped on one foot and spun around in a circle) and have them toss the seed onto the ground. Give each child a small amount of glitter, explain that it's magic sparkles; if they sprinkle the "magic sparkles" on the seeds while saying the magic words, "bippity boppity boop", tomorrow when they wake there will be a surprise waiting for them.

After your children go to bed, gather the seeds up and put small pumpkins in their place.

Magical pumpkins and seeds


Magical pumpkins



"bippity boppity boop"


Magical seeds "planted"

Acorn or Marble Leaf Painting
Suite 101

Materials
Large sheets of paper
Paint– fall colors such as orange, red, yellow, brown
Large box, box top or container at least 1 inch deep and large enough (a box lid from a box of copy paper works well)
Spoons– one for each color of paint
Acorns, nuts or marbles

Directions
Cut out large leaf shapes from the large sheets of paper. Place one leaf shape in the box. Spoon a bit of different colored paint into each of the four corners of the box. Preschoolers place an acorn or marble into the box. Preschoolers hold the box and move the box around so that the acorn or marble rolls into the paint and across the leaf shaped paper. Allow children to decide how long they want to continue painting with the acorn or marble.


Autumn Leaves
Hello, Cupcake!

*Melted chocolate is HOT; little helpers need to use caution!*

Materials
Maple Leaves
1 cup Orange Candy Melting Wafers
1 cup Green Candy Melting Wafers
1 Cup Milk Chocolate Melting Wafers

Directions
Wash the maple leaves with warm water and pat dry on paper towels. Line several cookie sheets with wax paper. Place the orange candy, green candy and milk chocolate melting wafers into separate microwavable bowls. Microwave each bowl separately, stirring occasionally, until the candy is smooth, about 1 minute. Using a small, clean craft brush or your fingertip, paint spots in the 3 different colors of melted candy in an even layer (not too thin) over the top side of each leaf. While the candy is still wet, swirl the colors slightly to blend. Place the leaf on one of the collie sheets, coated side up. Repeat with the remaining leaves. If the candy becomes too thick, reheat in the microwave for several seconds, stirring frequently. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator until the candy is set, about 5 minutes. Carefully peel the leaves from the hardened candy. They come off surprisingly easily. Use a toothpick or clean tweezers to remove any small pieces of leaf that may remain. The leaves can be made up to 5 days in advance, covered and kept in a cool dry place.