To Infinity and Beyond

This year we were team Toy Story for Halloween.  Emma chose to be Jessie, and then we looked for costumes to fit the theme--baby Buzz Lightyear and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.  We wore them to the Little Jewels Halloween event and out to trick-or-treat.

Scoopin' Seeds

Emma designed the faces and scooped the seeds, I scraped the insides, and Scott carved.  Oooh . . . spooky!  Oh, and I cleaned up the mess!  Ha!

Trunk or Treat

Emma's school has an annual Trunk or Treat event the weekend before Halloween.  A parent from each classroom decorates their trunk with streamers, student artwork, spider webs, spooky music, etc. and the kids walk from car to car collecting candy donated by various parents.  We sent in 60 packages of Goldfish crackers for Emma's class to give away.  With her allergies to kiwi, red dye, and caramel color, there's virtually no candy she can eat.  But when we reached her class car, the Goldfish were all gone.  No worries.  I always trade her all of her candy for a toy.

Pumpkin Patch Play

It's exciting to see the changes they make each year to Rader Farms.  Emma smiled ear to ear the entire time.  Grammy Jill and Papa Mike enjoyed the activities and spending time with their oldest granddaughter.

Fall Art and Games - Part 2

 

Coffee Filter Pumpkins:  Coffee filters can be used for any season to make something fun!  We used Do-A-Dot markers and a spray bottle.  Watch the orange blend into the white spaces as the water is absorbed.  When it dries, add a construction paper stem and small pipe cleaner for a curly vine.

Fall-owing Directions Math and Literacy:  These laminated worksheets helped Emma practice following directions to add and decode a mystery message.  We also worked on number and letter formation.  These came from www.allkidsnetwork.com.

Jack-o-Lantern Funny Faces:  These 1/2 pieces can be arranged in any fashion.  After creating one, choose a follow-up activity.  Ask your child to point to the ones that are happy, have circle eyes, do not have a nose, etc.  Or ask if he/she can make a jack-o-lantern with certain characteristics.  You can also discuss emotions and model character development by speaking as the jack-o-lantern in a unique voice.  Then ask your child, "How is this jack-o-lantern feeling?  How would he talk?  What would he say?"

Jack-o-Lantern Memory:  As with the previous matching game, you could also discuss shapes and emotions with these cards.  Ask your child, "What happened to make this jack-o-lantern be so upset?  Why is this one laughing?"

More Fall Books:  We are developing quite a home library with many seasonal books.  Most of these had a Thanksgiving theme.

Fall Art and Games - Part 1

Paper Bag Jack-o-Lantern:  Emma stuffed a paper bag with old paper, tied a green pipe cleaner around the top, and painted it with orange and brown tempera paint.  After it dried, she cut her own shapes out of yellow to create the lit face.

Acorn Counting:  After rolling the die, Emma added pom pons to the acorn picture.  For round two, she took them away.  It gave her practice reading the dots on the die, rather than counting them each time.

Knuckle Print Pumpkin Patch:  So cute!  Make a fist.  Dip the top section (the part that you use to fist bump) into orange paint and press on paper.  When it dries, use green and brown markers to add leaves, stems, and vines.

Books:  We read so many great books about fall and Halloween!  Emma's favorites were Let It Fall, Hello Kitty's Fun Fall Day, 10 Trick or Treaters, and I Love Pumpkins.

Holy Homemade Costumes!

Superheros unite!  Each year we like to coordinate our Halloween attire with Emma's costume.  This year she chose Batgirl.  Her Grandma Connie spent many hours lovingly creating this amazing superwear!  We bought Lauren's Robin costume from Amazon, and I picked up black cat ears and a tail to become Catwoman.  Scott looked around his closet and found a few things to transform into Commissioner Gordon.  It was a cold night, and Lauren was ready for dinner and bed at 5:00, the start time for trick-or-treating.  So, we quickly made our way to a few neighbors' homes before I took her home and Scott continued escorting Batgirl.

Witch's Cauldron

Materials: 2 cups, baking soda, vinegar, green food coloring, tray

Procedure:  Pour vinegar into first cup and add a few drops of green food coloring.  Mix solution.  Pour baking soda into the second cup.  Place it on a tray to catch the overflow.  Add vinegar mix to baking soda cup and be amazed!

Results:  The chemical reaction causes the release of carbon dioxide--fizzing!

Emotions of a Four Year Old:  excitement, surprise, joy

Funny Faces

It's pumpkin time!  We love the character pieces that press into the pumpkins!  Emma feels like she is a part of the action. In the first picture, you can see that Emma planned out the arrangement of her four jack-o-lanterns.  Scott had Emma draw a face on one pumpkin, though, and he did the carving.  Did you catch the tongue sticking out in the third picture?  Funny faces all around!