Apples and Pumpkins

Apple Garland

 Can I take a minute to say how much I love the DollarTree? Seriously, they have tons of craft stuff for cheap. If I swore, I would swear by this store! And don't just frequent one store, stop by different DollarTree locations. Every store carries a little different variety. Oh and the Target dollar section is great too!

For example, I wanted to make an apple garland but didn't have the time to trace and cut out the apples. Browsing in DollarTree, I came across these cute foam apples. PERFECT! I simply punched two holes close together and had W help me string them. He thought it was awesome!

And then there is the whole "it's halloween/fall and I must decorate a pumpkin" thing. Sharp objects and large produce items do not mix well with small children. So, I came up with my own little alternative. Here's how we decorated pumpkins.

• Foam pumpkins from the DollarTree
• A variety of shapes cut from black construction paper
• Glue sticks
• Squares of construction paper

The pumpkins actually had faces printed on one side so I just glued that side to the construction paper and no one ever knew!  I made a sample and then let the kids do the rest. I loved the results! Can you find the pumpkin with the mustache?
Both E and W were super into this craft. W is 3 and wanted to do all the pumpkins!

The sample

Pumpkin heads

cavity free candy corn

Keep it simple.

It's almost the first official day of fall. Already, the PSL (pumpkin spice latte) is being served, leaves are changing colors, temperatures are dropping, and everyone is stocking up on candy.

Yes. I did just use candy as a segue.

Check out those glue sticks

This year, I decided to make my own healthy, cavity free version of a traditional fall favorite-- candy corn. I found this on pinterst and made a few tweaks to make it work for me.

Cavity Free Candy Corn 

• Orange, yellow, white, and black construction paper
• 3 plastic bowls
• Glue sticks
• A white crayon

Such straight lines!

 First, tear up the yellow, orange, and white construction paper into small pieces. Size and shape do not matter. Place them into the plastic bowls. (While it is easier to tear several pieces of paper at a time, take the time to tear each piece separately. It will be difficult to separate them later and will make it more difficult when the kids are trying to glue the pieces onto paper).  
Next, draw a rounded triangle on the black construction paper using the white crayon. (It is easier for kids to see than pencil).
Then, divide the rounded triangle into three horizontal sections. (Reading ready kids might enjoy writing where each color goes to practice spelling and reading).
Finally, Place glue on one section at a time and glue the corresponding construction paper pieces. It's easier for kids to work on one color at a time. (We started at the bottom and worked our way up). The object is to cover as much of the dark paper as possible.

Aren't they cute?!

E is almost 6 and thought it was like a super cool jigsaw puzzle trying to get the crazy torn pieces to fit together and cover up space without leaving gaps. W is 3 and had fun grabbing little handfuls of paper and slapping them on the paper. Both were occupied for quite a while and their parents were thrilled!

Left to Right- E age 6, W age 3, Me age unknown.

 TADA! 
A healthy candy corn "recipe!"