I’ve been a long time fan of No Time for Flashcards, so when Allison, the author, announced that her very first post was live on Adventures in Learning (the new PBS Parents blog), I headed on over to check it out. As usual, her learning activity was creatively set up, engaging as could be, and easy to put together. While we really haven’t started doing activities that have specific learning outcomes in mind (we’re more in the play and learn along the way stage), Gracen does love counting and all sorts of games, so I decided we’d give it a shot.
Tag Archives: fall
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.
♥
Autumn Nature Shelf
Over the course of the last week, Gracen has been very into collecting “autumn sings (things)”. At first, I thought we’d use the items to make a couple of art projects and a sensory bin (which we did), but the collection grew so quickly and became so diverse that I decided a special area to display and admire her beautiful nature items was needed.
So this morning, we started out by taking down Grae’s beloved {pretend play} frozen yogurt shop and making room for a new nature display. At first, I thought we’d use the same little table we had used for the shop, but just as I was thinking it would be nice to have something more like a long skinny coffee table, these vintage apple crates came to mind (they are actually the very boxes Grandma Charlotte’s family received apples in when she was a little girl!) They couldn’t have fit the space better and not only does their rustic charm suit a nature table perfectly, but when stacked on their sides, they provide extra storage space by turning into shelves.
Grae and I started emptying our bags and filling up the shelves (being the little organizer she is, she of course wanted all similar items together, so I was very lucky to be granted permission to split up the apples/corn/pinecones into a couple of different areas). As she started to try and stand her tree branches upright along the wall, I realized that Great Great Grandma Amy’s vintage mason jars would display them beautifully.
Our items came from a variety of spots… Most of the leaves, branches, and twigs were found while walking around visiting parks in our neighbourhood in Vancouver. The baby pumpkin and dried corn were found on our most recent trip to Davison Orchards. The pinecones were picked in Grandma Charlotte and Poppop’s front yard, and the dried flowers and berry bunches were found in the back. Grandma Charlotte and Grae retrieved the cat tails and birch bark while out on a walk, and the new apples were snagged from a big box in GC and Poppop’s garage. ☺
When we were all done emptying and arranging, the end result was a cute little autumn-inspired corner in G’s room where she is free to explore nature at any time.
So far, she seems to enjoy rearranging her items and reading in front of the shelf most.
Knowing our little nature lover, I’m thinking this collection will continue to grow as the season progresses. And we just may have to start fresh and create a new one come winter…
♥
I know not everyone would feel comfortable having glass jars and/or inedible berries within their little one(s) reach. Please only do what you are comfortable with.
Fall Flowers
It may be the first of October, but the flowers in our front gardens would never let you know it. Today Miss G took some time to sniff her way around our yard and comment on each of the flowers she found – “Dis one soooo beautiful, Mama!”.
Soaking up the last signs of summer around here…
♥