Let’s be real here for a moment… At 43 degree this afternoon, it doesn’t feel like fall here in Kuwait in the least. So when I told Gracen that today was the very first day of fall, she glanced out the window, furrowed her brow and said, “It certainly doesn’t look like fall!’ in an almost accusatory tone. Hah! Gotta love her spunk. I told her that she was right and that the desert is tricky when it comes to seasons, but back home in Canada, fall changes are beginning to happen. We read a stack of fall-themed books which seemed to help convince her, then decided to create a fall tree in celebration.
Tag Archives: autumn activities for toddlers
A Leaf Pile Treasure Hunt
Grae and I were at home today without a vehicle, stroller, Ergo, umbrella, or bus pass (Brad had the vehicle and accidentally took everything else along with him – oopsies!), so we decided to use the the dreary rainy day to get some yard work done {quite possibly in pajamas ☺}.
I was raking leaves like a mad woman when I noticed that Grae had invented her own little game in the pile of leaves she was playing in. She played round after round as I sat back quietly chuckling to myself as I watched. First, she’d toss her little rake into the pile somewhere, then burry it with leaves and call out “Where’s Grae Grae’s rake? Hmmm… I don’t know!” while holding her hands out up to the sky wandering through the pile…
Then she’d sort through the leaves, eventually find it, and retrieve it.
Then proudly stand up and announce “There it is! There’s Grae Grae’s rake!!!”
And when there wasn’t a leaf pile treasure hunt happening, there was a whole lot of this…
A Leaf Maze {in the dark}
Okay, so we didn’t actually mean to do it in the dark, but then again, we didn’t plan on making a leaf maze in the first place. We had actually headed outside so that Gracen could play and I could rake up and compost our mounds of leaves and tidy up the yard, but meh – making a leave maze just seemed like more fun.
We headed outside around 4 p.m., and with it getting dark here just before 5 o’clock, we really didn’t have much for daylight left by the time we’d constructed our maze. (You’ll have to excuse the terrible photos… I really have no idea how to take decent pictures sans flash and tripod in the dark.)
I’ve seen this idea on Happy Hooligans and other blogs around the net, and I knew Grae would love it. With a rake, our hands, and some gardening gloves, we created a very simple maze in no time.
Grae found her way through several times and then asked, “Make maze more tricky, Mama?”
So with a few minor adjustments, we had a new, trickier maze for her to try.
It met her approval and then she decided she’d try driving her tractors through for something different… A fantastic idea if you ask me!
I don’t know how it will last overnight, but I have a feeling there will be several “more tricky” mazes in our day tomorrow.
♥
Rainbow-Coloured Trees
I’ve long been a lover of summers, so I’m not sure if I’m just feeling especially appreciative of autumn in Vancouver, or if our 4 years spent in the scorching, sweat-dripping-down-your-back-the-instant-you-step-outside desert has skewed my preferences, but man, I’m loving fall this year. Crisp air, overcast days… The crunch of leaves beneath your feet… Puddles to splash in. Cozy sweaters paired with boots. And the colours… The amazing, AMAZING colours!
So when Grae and I passed by Queen Elizabeth park {filled with rainbow-coloured trees} this morning, we had to pull over. And I’m so glad we did. Watching our little one frolic amongst the leaves while declaring “Deez trees soooo beautiful!” is like nothing else.
♥