Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Mosiac cornucopia - this is so pretty!


The cornucopia, or horn of plenty, is the symbol of abundance often representing the fall harvest. As a result, fruits and vegetables adorn our holiday tables and symbolize the wealth of food for the coming year. Make your own cornucopia this holiday season!


What you'll need:

1 sheet of plain white paper

1 sheet of black construction paper

Half sheets of construction paper: brown, black, purple, red, yellow, green and orange

White craft glue

Scissors

Pattern of a cornucopia


Place white paper over the pattern and trace the pattern lightly with a pencil.

Trim white paper if needed to fit evenly in the center of the black sheet of construction paper. Glue in place.

Tear (don’t cut) remaining construction paper into small squares, about ½” – 1” in size.

Using the penciled pattern as your guide, glue torn pieces onto the white paper in this order:

Brown – horn

Black - horn mouth/rim

Purple – grapes at top

Red – apple to the right, below top grapes

Purple – eggplant

Red – apple below eggplant

Green – leaves below apple

Yellow – apple below top grapes

Green and yellow – corn cob

Green – leaves below corn

Purple – grapes below corn cob

Orange – pumpkin

Glue torn pieces on for stems – brown for the grapes and pumpkin and black for the eggplant. You may also add stems for the apples if you prefer. Allow to dry completely.

Tips:

Use this project to help explain why we give thanks during the Thanksgiving holiday and how the cornucopia symbolizes our bountiful harvests.

Save extra torn piece for another mosaic project.

Hang this on the refrigerator or the front door. Add a piece of yarn to the back as a hanger or hang up with a magnet.

Thanks to http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/seasons/fall/index.html for this beautiful Thanksgiving project idea.

Blessings,

Molly

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Apple activities to do with How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

Different apple varieties work better in different recipes. Learn how to read a chart by finding out which apple varities go best in a pie and which are better for eating fresh. Chart available at http://www.michiganapples.com/pg25usage.pdf.

Be sure to take a field trip to an apple orchard if there is one nearby.   We found that the prices were much cheaper if we picked them ourselves or if we bought a big box of them.   We'd eat apples we had picked until Christmas.

Select an apple recipe to make and have fun making it with your child!  My children are 19, 15, and 12 and they still remember making apple pies when we read this book. 

Enjoy making memories with your children!

Blessings,

Molly

Thursday, October 22, 2009

One of our favorite Fall books when my children were young.

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World




An apple pie is easy to make...if the market is open. But if the market is closed, the world becomes your grocery store. This deliciously silly recipe for apple pie takes readers around the globe to gather ingredients. First hop a steamboat to Italy for the finest semolina wheat. Then hitch a ride to England and hijack a cow for the freshest possible milk. And, oh yes! Don't forget to go apple picking in Vermont! A simple recipe for apple pie is included.

We used Five in a Row when my children were much younger.   I HIGHLY recommend this curriculum!   We have some precious memories of the things we did with a group of friends using this curriculum.   If you aren't familiar with Five in a Row, please do a websearch for it and discover loads of fun books to read and things to do.   We never ran out of ideas of things to do.  And of course, you'll have to make an apple pie after you've read this book.  :-)

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Create a Paper Plate Scarecrow

My children and I have always loved fall.   We love the crispness of the cooler temperatures.   We love the beauty of the blue sky with the leaves that are changing colors.   We've always enjoyed using scarecrows to decorate with.   One year we made a stuffed scarecrow at a Fall party we went to.  It was so much fun.   We had a race to see who could completely make a scarecrow first.   I found this cute paper plate scarecrow that you can make with your child.

Create your own scarecrow - one of the most popular symbols of autumn.   It's a great project  for ages preschool, kindergarten, and elementary.


Supplies needed::

Flower pattern

Hay pattern

Hat pattern

Nose pattern

Googly eyes

Ribbon for tie

Glue

Brown craft foam (light and dark colors)

Orange craft foam

Yellow craft foam

White craft foam

Green craft foam

Paper plate

Permanent Marker