Indian Corn

We took a trip up the road to get some Indian corn and pumpkins. We'll see how long the kernels stay on the cob. Last year, my little one diligently banged the kernels off the cob. She was on a mission.

Baking Whole Apples

We really enjoyed baking whole apples today. It was an easy and fun seasonal activity, found in one of our favorite books, Earthways. The best part is that my little one was involved in the entire activity, all I did was core the apples. My little one mixed up the dates, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon. Then, she stuffed the mixture into the openings. How fun. She put some water in the bottom of the baking dish and we baked the apples for 45 minutes - 1 hour at 350 degrees. The wonderful smell of cinnamon and apples filled our house and the apples were a delicious treat.

A little of this, a little of that

A little painting, today

And, a little playing

With it raining outside, this play tunnel keeps my little one busy. First, she was rolling around in it and then she requested to make it into a fort. 

Spooky Halloween Decorations

2 years ago, my daughter feel in love with Halloween, especially the decorations. I must say that I was never really big on the holiday, but seeing it through her eyes, the holiday and the decorations started to grow on me. She really loved witches and chose to be a magical witch that year for Halloween. This was the start of my decorating and collecting for Halloween, at this point, I have way for decorations that I ever intended.

This whimsical collection fills the top of my large armoire. On Halloween, I burn a bunch of tea lights throughout to make it more festive.

I could not resist the expressive smiles of these ones. I love the trick-or-treat bags they are carrying. 

This year, my little one said that our house was not spooky enough. I asked her what would make it spookier and her reply was to purchase more Halloween decorations, of course. Not exactly what I had in mind. 

Needless to say, we found these Halloween cutouts - spiders, bats, and rats. The house is spooky, now, I am done. 

At least until next year. 

Building Blocks

Building blocks are an important part of play for our little ones. They provide open-ended play and provide many benefits to a child's development. 

A set of blocks can help your child develop

- motor skills and hand-eye coordination

- spatial skills

- creative problem-solving skills

- math skills

- language skills

- social skills

Some of our wood puzzles are made of thick wood, which makes them great to build with. 

Blooming hydrangeas

Some pictures of hydrangeas blooming into fall.

Hands & feet

I really can appreciate that my little one loves to explore. I think it make her experiences more vivid and memorable. It is how our little one's learn. But, these days she explores everything freely. Sometimes, I would prefer if she stayed clean. Today, only her hands were painted. Most days, her clothes come off and she paints her entire body. 

Napping with her stuffed animal, Bernie, while our dogs were at the groomers. 

Autumn equinox

Just a little change of color found in the park today, as we enjoy the first day of Autumn. My grandmother's sugar maple has always been one of the first trees to change color. The reds are so vibrant. 

Peek-a-boo

Someone's a little too sad for a picture. 

Navigating with colors

My little one navigated a large kaleidoscope at a local museum. The colorful designs created a lot of oohs and ahhs.

Back at home, my little one was navigating a train through her drawing. It's interesting how shapes are starting to be put together to create more complex drawings.

Early drawings of our family

Our dogs

Stars in the sky and a rainbow

A new drawing that is so precious to me - it's our baby growing in mommy's belly.

The star within

The Apple Star
Take an apple round and red
Don't slice down
Slice through instead
Right inside it, you will see
A star as pretty as can be!

Cutting an apple horizontally reveals a hidden star. The apples we picked last week were delicious - early MacIntosh apples are a childhood love. We'll have to stop by the orchard up the road to pick up another 1/2 peck. My little one is looking forward to making caramel apples and baking whole apples stuffed with walnuts, raisins, and dates. One of my favorite seasonal books, Earthways by Carol Petrash, details wonderful apple recipes and crafts. It is a great resource for seasonal activities and nature crafts for the family and young children.

Humm, what's hiding under the acorn cap?

An apple, of course. These acorns caps are huge and my little one loves hiding little treasures underneath them. I found them last year on ebay and they have been a fun addition to her play.

Autumn seasonal nature table

We are gathering up some of last year's seasonal items to transition to our Autumn Nature Table. Last year, I needle felting a few things - a mushroom (secure a marble in the base to weigh it down), an apple, a pumpkin, and an acorn.

A few needle felted acorns

A few mushrooms glued to a piece of bark and my little ones wet felted acorns.

The family of gnomes asleep in a bed of newly fallen leaves.