Make: Fall Suncatcher (Video)

I shared this activity last Fall, so many of you may have already seen it, or even (fingers crossed!!) already done it with your kiddos! I just finished this video though, and thought that I'd post it on here too. If it's new to you, it's super easy, lots of fun, and makes a pretty Fall decoration.

Make: Thankful Trees

This great idea was shared by BEV. You can visit her regularly at her blog, Sweet Tea and Sass.

Thankful Trees

Here’s a fun, simple project to do with your kids, or grandkids. 

Materials needed: 

A sheet from a large drawing pad

Markers

An egg carton

Several tubes of finger paint

Package of sticky googly eyes. 

My grandsons went with brown for the trunk of the tree, but you might want to let your child use his imagination. Imagination is fun! 

Have them trace their entire arm, or help them if they’re a bit too young, opening their fingers up at the top of the ‘tree’. The arm will form the trunk and the branches will be formed by the fingers reaching up and out. 

Once the trunk and limbs are drawn, they can dip their finger(s) into the finger paint, making ‘leaves’ on the trees. We used a lot of fun colors for this part, and layered the leaves on top of each other. We even added some that had fallen on the ground. 

When the leaves have dried, the kids can stick a pair of googly eyes on each leaf, two for each member of their family, or even for other things they might be thankful for. Grayson added some of the characters from Star Wars, and one for his great-grandmother, who is in heaven. Caiden added family pets, and friends. I helped Grayson with some labeling of the leaves because he’s just learning to read and write. 

The front of many refrigerators are not magnetic these days, but a piece of tape will easily remedy that.  

The googly eyes, added to the boys’ foreheads, are optional but they sure had fun wearing them the rest of the day, as we went out to lunch and ran errands 

Move: Simple Sack Race

Looking for some festive fun, in a pinch? Try it cinched! 

With built-in handles, a typical kitchen trash bag is the perfect partner for a simple sack race! 

Now all you need is a finish line.

~Leslie

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). 

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! :)

Munch: Molasses Spice Cookies

These are a yummy fall favorite in our family. The recipe is easy to follow, and there are several steps that are very kid-friendly. Landon and I just made a large batch of these tasty treats, and then tromped together through the fallen leaves to our neighbors' houses to deliver warm platefuls straight from the oven. Mmmm...we may need to make some more!

Ingredients (for 3 dozen cookies):

1 box spice cake mix

1 tsp soda

2/3 cup shortening

1 tsp ginger

2 eggs

3 Tbsp molasses

1. Mix cake mix, soda, and ginger. 
2. Stir in eggs, shortening, and molasses. 
3. Beat til smooth (batter will be VERY thick). 
4. Cover and chill 1 hour before baking. 
5. Shape into balls...little hands are great for this! 
6. Dip top of each ball into sugar. This is Landon's favorite part. 
7. Place 2" apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Cookies flatten quite a bit during baking.
8. Bake at 375' for 8 minutes. 
9. Let cool. Share with your little kitchen assistant!