Family Matters: Fall Projects + Setting Back The Clock
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Leaves, leaves, leaves
A great way to get the kids outside and clean up the yard is the promise of getting to jump into mounds of leaves. Make a game of gathering leaves and sticks into piles. Before the final raking is done, allow the kids to romp and toss leaves for fun. I find the promise of cocoa or cuddling up with a good book inside after leaf raking helps focus and rally kids for the final cleanup. If kids seem to be spreading more leaves than making piles have them decorate the leaf bags with crayons while you finish raking.
Make a fall collage
Leaves come in many shapes and sizes and when arranged in certain positions may resemble animals or people. Look at the shapes of dry flat leaves (see how-to flatten here) and imagine how their shapes can be arranged to form different animals or people. Use the leaves as is or cut to size. Affix on paper or stiff board with a glue stick. Martha Stewart turned her leaf animals into Alphabet cards. Local artist Beth Curtin combined leaves, acorns and other found nature items with children recently at Brown Street Park to make three-dimensional fall collages. Kids love to collect and create. Parents just need to provide the glue.
Celebrate the end of Daylight Savings Time
Anisa Raoof is the publisher and founder of Kidoinfo, the parents' guide for Rhode Island and beyond.
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