Preschool Fall Activities

First up, we played in the rain. And this time I was right out there with them, and neglected to take pictures of my oh-so-cute-hooligans traipsing through the puddles. Good way to start a day!
Then we did school. And when I say, "did school," I mean that we covered Teaching Textbooks for math, for both kids. Bible, with all four little people-- I read, and they munch and draw pictures. Works well for us. We discuss it all, as well as any family can when a 3-year old is participating. Some days work better than others. Today he just wanted to talk about his favorite colors and animals. What color was Jesus. I answered, "brown." Figured that was close enough. Then we read books, did handwriting, and I started working with the two little ones while the older kids worked on Spanish homework (Papaw teaches Spanish and history every day, thank You, Lord!)
First up: button practice with felt leaves. All you need is felt, ribbon (or twine, cord, whatever you have on hand) two buttons, or a button and bell. Cut leaves out of your felt, with a small hole in the middle of each, for the button to go through.
Tie the button on one end of your ribbon, and the large bell on the other end.

Let your kiddo put the button through the hole, and string the leaves on the ribbon. Easy peasy. Great for motor skills, and just to keep little ones occupied for as long as possible. Much better idea than my black paint fiasco! Gah. I still have a black ring around my tub.

I love his little pudgy hands. Just want to eat 'em up!! Here is my LittleLad, still clothed in his yogurt-encrusted shirt. Don't judge me.

It was a long day, and I decided not to change their clothes more than 3 x, no matter what.

Next up, on Rainy Day, we worked on colors and spellings. Granted, at this age Oli only remembers a few actual spellings... it's more about the matching for him.

I'm guessing this is self-explanatory. Write out the color names on corresponding colored paper. Then do it again, and cut the letters apart. Let the kids match it all up, spelling the color word.

I don't really know why, but this is one of his favorite things to do.

Works for me. I just hope something brilliant is sticking in his little mind! ;)

At the same time, Dash worked on stringing his name up with clothespins. He's in kindergarten this year, and regularly "misplaces" the letters to his name. Yes, his name is Trevor. But when he writes it, it often comes out as "TVR," or "Trvr." I believe he hates vowels. If he decides to include an E, it often has about a hundred horizontal lines stabbing through it.

He tries, he really does.

And, frankly, I just don't care about his writing much at this point. He enjoys learning, loves to write (who cares if it makes no sense.) He narrates stories and plays educational games. Kindergarten should be fun. I'm not stressing the omission of vowels.

That said, if he likes to string up leaves, I might as well give him some to put in order. He doesn't have to write it, so he doesn't mind.

Any other ideas for our next rainy day? Or other fall activities we could try? I'm feeling all perky and crafty again-- maybe because Christmas is a mere two months away, and the crafting-for-gifts-force is pulling me into artistic overdrive. I've been painting and drawing every night. Feels glorious. :)

We love Childhood 101 & Preschool Corner. Check 'em out, and link to the playing parties!

Pumpkin Potato Stamps

The potato.

Your only necessary item for stamps.


Make the cut as clean as possible. Cut the ends off, too, so you can keep your tators in place while cutting your shapes.

The kids can draw or trace the design they want onto the potato.

Then -you- cut down into the lines they just drew. These cuts only need to be about a quarter-inch deep.

(I used a very sharp paring knife, and didn't want even the older kids to work on the cutting part.)

Next, slice from the side of the potato about a quarter of an inch deep towards your shape. Be careful to stop when the extra piece of potato is loose. Do not cut through your shape. The design should protrude out from the rest of the potato.

I had the little boys mix their own orange paint. You can dip the potato stamp into the paint, or paint it on. We prefer to paint it on, to keep the image from getting too drippy or clumpy. (you'll laugh later, I'm sure)


Press down on paper. Then I made a mistake.
I cut out bat stamps for the boys.

And gave them BLACK paint. My LittleLad took advantage of my trust.
Oh my. We're memory-building over here... right??

Cup Runneth Over

Last night I hosted my annual Ladies Fall Firepit night. Pictures soon. It was fabulous. Great friends, conversation, games, food. Much-needed bonding time with my girlfriends.

In other news, I took the plunge and moved the drafting table right smack in the middle of my dining room. Why? Because no one wants to work in isolation (okay, maybe some people do, but not me!) I needed more light, more space, and more accessibility.

Lately it's been all about cups. I actually have reasons:

1) I love coffee. And tea.

2) I drink coffee during my Bible study, and often do my best thinking then.

3) Mimi has given me some very special cups, with memories attached.

This afternoon we celebrated my beautiful little sister's 29th birthday. Look at her: gorgeous, petite, uber-talented in all areas... she's a deep thinker, artistic, kind, empathetic, honest beyond the "social norm" in an attempt to help others. I deeply respect and admire this lady.

And I can't believe my daughter is almost as tall as Julie is!! After celebrating Julie's birthday, we went out to a local trail to take some family pictures. Here's a teaser of the photos to come...

My adorable Dash

We told the kids that if they did well with the picture-taking, then they could climb the 100 Steps. Bribing boys is ridiculously easy.To top the day off, my dear friend brought lamb masala and naam takeout for me!

Sometimes the blessings are closer than they appear, and we only need to look around.

Playing Catch-Up

We've been offline for a few days, due to a browser problem. Today I fixed it (With a little help from my Dad! Thanks, Dad!!)
To catch up on the big changes:
The Artist got her hair chopped off a few days ago, by my precious cosmetologist sister.

Oh, Dah-ling, you are beautiful!!

Yesterday she requested that I curl her hair. This is a BIG deal. The Artist is not prissy. She does not usually enjoy frills and curls. Which is perfectly fine... the request just took me by surprise.

Now look at her! My NatureBoy exclaimed, "now you look like Mommy-- like you have a wig on!"

Gotta love it. My sister also gave me highlights-- red and blonde. Big treat for this lady. I l-o-v-e it! My smoochie face, for the talented photographer (good shot, 3rd grader!)

Then the oh-so-talented Aunt J gave all of the boys a trim.

And, last but not least, I'm still doing my art. every. day. Big commitment for me to find the time-- sometimes, as you know, it's just a shoe sketch in the van. But I'm trying.

Painted this, using my Starbucks cup and a painting I found online as inspiration. Simple design. My paint was runnier than the other painting. Colors are a tad off, I think, but it's pretty close.

Now, my plan for the rest of the evening:

What have you been up to?