Move: Carving Jesus into Halloween

Pumpkin Patch Salvation 

A Hands-On (Holiday) Family Bible Study

Being a Christian is kind-of like being a pumpkin!

First, God picks you from the pumpkin patch and brings you in from the field. The Bible says He created you in a unique and special way, and that He loves you! 

"Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being." Isaiah 66:2

He then washes all the "dirt" off of us. 

"Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sin." Act 22:16

Then He carefully removes all the yucky stuff, called sin, from inside us. 

Create in me a pure heart, O God." Psalm 51:10

Next He carves us a new, smiling face! We are changed by the power of His hand in our lives! We are so thankful for these changes, we can't help but show it on our faces. 

"A cheerful look brings joy to the hearts of others." Proverbs 15:30

Finally, He puts his Spirit in us, so that we can shine from the inside out! Jesus is called the Light of the World, and when He lives in us, we shine before others! 

"Let your light so shine before men that they may be able to see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16

Just a fun way to make Jesus the reason for this season too! :)

~Leslie

Make: A Very-Hairy Beard

This year Landon wanted to be a viking for Halloween. Sort-of random, but very Landon. He's just quirky like that. I actually think he might get it from his mama...Ha!

 We found the hat on sale without a problem at a Halloween store (though shielding precious, innocent eyes at said store was a bit difficult...Yikes!). 

Next, I took Landon to Jo-Ann Fabrics to help me pick out the material for the body of the costume. He liked the hairiest they had (because it "looked like a bear"). I simply folded it in half, cut a hole in it for his head, threw it over his shoulders, and then tied a piece of rope around his waist. I hot glued the extra material to a pair of rubber boats. 

The only thing missing was a beard. A viking has to have a beard. 

I priced them (wow!), and then decided it was time to get crafty!

MATERIALS:

Elastic

Scissors

1 piece of felt

The hairiest yarn you can find

Glue (Note: Hot Glue works MUCH better than Tacky Glue)

STEPS:

1. Cut felt into a beard shape that fits your child's face (mouth and nose). 

2. Cut/divide hairy yarn into several big "chunks". Individual strands will get messy, will take much longer to apply, and won't give the desired effect as well as big sections. 

3. Cover an area of felt with hot glue. Immediately apply a section of yarn to the area. Press firmly. 

4. When beard is covered with yarn, trim away stray pieces (especially around mouth and nose area). 

5. Attach a piece of elastic to top of each side (I sewed ours on, but hot glue could work). 

Cheap ($3.80). Easy. FUN!

Make: Super-Duper Slime!

I came across this festive little experiment a couple of weeks ago. Simply put, you should definitely make this with your kids!! It's easy. Cheap. Festive. Even educational! AND, your kids will probably think they have just about the COOLEST mom in the whole wide world! Because, of course, as you already know, they do! :)

MATERIALS: 

Borax (found at KMart-$4.50/box)

Elmers Glue (8 oz bottle)

Food coloring (optional)

Water

Measuring Cup

Glass Bowl

Spoon

1. Empty glue into bowl. 

2. Fill empty glue bottle with water (can add color too). Shake. Add to bowl. 

3. Stir glue mixture.

4. Add 1 tsp of Borax to 1/2 a cup of water (separate container).

5. Stir Borax solution. 

6. Slowly pour a little bit of the Borax solution into the glue mixture and begin stirring. Keep adding and stirring until desired consistency. 

7. Ta Da! Now you have a polymer!

7. Store slime in air-tight container (after your kids have spent countless hours playing with it, of course). 

Move: Bath Time Fun

We all want to have fun with our kids...why not fit snuggles, laughs, and smiles into things you are already doing during the day? Valerie (profile below) has a sweet, fun way to make the mundane, memorable! 

When I was little, my mom would say this little poem while she helped me dry off after my bath. I loved it then, and I still love it today. I know she read it in a book at some point, but I have no idea which one, so I am unable to give credit. Just know that I'm not claiming to have written it! ;) I've used it with each one of my kiddos and they laugh every time! I thought I'd pass it along. It's a simple way to make a fun memory with your little toddlers.

After My Bath*

After my bath, I try, try, try,

To wipe myself till I'm dry, dry, dry. 

Hands to wipe, fingers and toes,

Two wet legs and a shiny nose!

Just think how much less time I'd take,

If I were a dog and could shake, shake, shake!

* Add motions for even more fun!

Valerie loves her job as a pastor's wife and as a homeschooling mom of five kids.She enjoys studying God's word and sharing her love for Him on her blog: http://www.valerie-thebishopswife.blogspot.com. She's also a contributor to Home School Enrichment Magazine.

Make: Glow-in-the-Dark Pumpkins

I did this experiment for my MOPS group yesterday, and it received a round of applause in approval! So, I'm passing along to you, my fellow fun moms, the trick(s) to making an amazing, jaw-dropping, Glow-in-the-Dark Pumpkin. 

1. White pumpkins glow brighter.

2. Plaid Glo Away ($4.99 at Walmart) is the best glow paint for the money. Good stuff!

3. Use a "sponging" technique when applying  your paint. 

4. Do two coats, but make sure they're completely dry before handling.

Personal Recommendation: A glowing pumpkin makes a REALLY fun nightlight!

Make: Pumpkin Shirt

Wanna make your lil' pumpkin nice and festive? 

Here's an easy DIY seasonal shirt that you can make together: 

1. Cut an apple in half. Insert a popsicle stick for easy handling.

2. Paint the apple with orange fabric paint (the thicker the better).

3. Let your lil' pumpkins firmly press the apple onto a shirt. It's a good idea to place a plastic bag or piece of cardboard inside the shirt to protect the back from the paint. 

4. Add the stem by dipping your kiddo's pointer finger in green fabric paint. Landon loved trying to get it placed in just the right spot.

4. Set out to dry. 

5. Wear!

Move/Make: Cardboard Box Creations

Submitted by my sweet mom: Bev (possibly the world's best Grammy)

When I was growing up my family had a set of Childcraft books, the kid addition to World Book Encyclopedias. I spent hours and hours pouring over them, but my very favorite was the ‘Make and Do’ book.

Recently I spent some time with two of our grandsons, and we pulled out the book for inspiration. I showed them the pages of projects I’d done – the soap carving, the doll furniture, costumes, but when they saw the cardboard castle and submarine their faces lit up!

So we piled in the car, started driving in alleys, and hit pay dirt when we found a company having hardwood floors installed. They gave us a pile of clean cardboard to haul home.

We purchased a roll of duct tape, borrowed their mom’s package tape, pulled out markers, a knife I purchased at the dollar store just for cutting boxes, and I found some pieces of string to use for the door pulls.

We had such fun looking at the photo of the submarine, and making adjustments to our design. The boys really wanted to be able to be inside the submarine, together, and have a door that would close behind them. An almost-empty plastic wrap box was drafted to make a periscope, which delighted them.

So next rainy day, or bored day, or everyone’s grumpy day, you might find a big working space in your house (or garage) and let everyone’s imagination run wild. If you’re lucky enough to run across a set of these books, grab them, especially the ‘Make and Do’ volume. It has wonderful instructions for making modeling clay, foam pictures, puppets, marionettes, etc. etc. etc. I had as much fun as they did, and when we had finished the boys didn’t care at all about painting the submarine gray, like the one in the book; they just wanted to climb inside and start imagining what the bottom of the ocean might be like.

I’ve already promised them, next visit we’ll tackle the castle, complete with moat.

Munch: Caramel Apples

A few weeks ago Landon and I saw beautiful (and expensive!) caramel apples in a candy store window. He  wanted one (and so did his mama), so I told him that we would try to make them. 

Ta da! They were surprisingly easy, and really yummy!! As an added bonus, they look very festive and cheery on my kitchen counter. Here's how we did it..

Ingredients:

1 package of Brach's Milk Maid Caramels

2 Tbsp of water

8-10 small apples

8-10 craft sticks

Toppings (see below)

1. Wash apples and remove stems. Insert a craft stick into each one.

2. Melt the caramel and water over very low heat (about 5 minutes).

3. Using a spatula, "paint" the caramel over the surface of an apple.

4. Immediately begin covering the apple with toppings. You might have to press them into the caramel...it hardens very quickly! For our toppings we used sundae nuts, candy corn, and sprinkles.

Enjoy!! We sure did! :)

Make: Painted Pumpkins

If you're looking for a simple, quick activity to do with your kids, let them paint a pumpkin. You'll be amazed how much they enjoy spreading paint over the bumpy surface (WAY more fun than paper!), and then you'll have a sweet little homemade addition to your fall decor.