On Your Mark ... Get Set ... FALL!

         What a beautiful time of year it is! The cool crisp days of fall provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy the outdoors before winter sets in. Get ready to explore our changing world with fun crafts and outdoor activities. While you are out let your kids collect some of Mother Nature's treasures. Get geared up to admire the many colors of fall.

Start with a pile of leaves, some energetic kids and a camera. After the pictures are developed, pick one that captures the spirit of the day, Take a brown paper bag (the large kind you can have your groceries bagged in) and cut it into a placemat sized piece. Glue the picture onto the paper in desired position. Decorate the border with drawings or leaf prints (lightly paint the back of a leaf with acrylic paint, then press onto the paper). Fully dried and pressed leaves can be glued directly onto paper. Once the glue and paint are dry, laminate with clear Con-Tact paper or, for about $3 each, splurge and have the place mats laminated at a copy shop.

Fall Scarecrow
This is a fun way to spend an afternoon with the family. Gather old clothing, like jeans and a flannel shirt, and stuff them to make the body of your scarecrow. You can use hay, leaves, or crumbled newspaper for stuffing, although it looks best when you have a least a small amount of hay to stick out from around the neck, hands, and feet. Make the head out of a pumpkin by drawing on a face with magic markers or paint. Finish with a hat. Be creative - scarecrows can be displayed in a wide variety of poses, from sitting down to standing on their heads! I once saw a scarecrow sitting in a rocking chair on a neighbor's porch. It was posed with a book, and looked as if it were simply enjoying the fall weather.

Create Your Own Fall Tree
After a fun day of playing in the fall leaves have your child collect some of their favorite leaves. Take a half sheet of poster board and have your child draw a tree trunk and empty branches. Then simply glue their collected leaves onto the branches making a colorful tree. Also allow your child to gather twigs, acrons, and other "treasures" to include in their picture.