Painted Acorns

The next time you go for a nice autumn walk, keep an eye out for acorns. It doesn't matter it their tops are attached because you can always glue them back on. Have your kid(s) gather up some acorns to take home (if the acorns are missing their tops, be sure to gather some to glue on later). Once you get home, rinse off and dry your acorns. I recommend letting them dry over night just to be sure there is no moisture left on them.

Once your acorns are dry, set out some paints (we also used glitter glue) and let your kid(s) have fun decorating the acorns however they want. This is a fun activity to do as a whole family too!

Once the paint is dry, if any of your acorns are missing their tops, now is a good time to glue them on.

When all is done, these colorful little acorns make great decoration to scatter around the house, to put on the Thanksgiving dinner table, or to add to gift baskets.

Cranberry Sensory & Fine Motor Skills

This activity is ridiculously easy to set up but can offer a lot in the way of helping to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It is also a fun sensory activity that can keep your little one entertained for long periods of time--which, let's face it, is a blessing for any tired parent who can use a break!

Supplies:
A large bowl or a baby bathtub
A slotted spoon
A cup
Water
Whole cranberries

Fill the bowl (or tub) with water, dump in a bag of whole cranberries, and give your child the slotted spoon and cup. Have your child practice scooping the berries out of the bowl and into the cup. If your child is like mine and loves to fully submerge in sensory activities, don't be afraid to let them sit in the tub (if using one) and allow them to scoop and squish the berries with their hands. If you have a brave child who isn't afraid to try bold flavors, let them even taste the berries if they wish. It will be a good lesson in how different flavors can be before and after cooking them! ;)

**Since the berries can be a choking hazard, I do not recommend this activity for small children. My son did this when he was about two years old but at that point he had a strong understanding of choking hazards and how to be safe with small objects. This activity should be monitored by an adult at all times.

Candy Corn (Alternative) Treat

Okay, so I know it's a little late in the game for candy corn. But I know some people who still enjoy this sugary treat well after Halloween for the Thanksgiving holiday. As for me, I don't like candy corn...ever. Personally I find candy corn to be waxy nasty little chunks of sugary fake yuck! (No offense to those of you who really like them.) But, if you want your kid to enjoy a sweet treat that is healthier than candy corn but still has the classic candy corn color for the fall season, here is a great candy corn alternative.

Ingredients:
Mandarin orange slices
Pineapple chunks
whip cream

Simply layer the ingredients in a glass cup and serve! It makes for a great sweet treat that is a feast for the eyes as well as the tummies.

And seriously...just say no to candy corn. Bleh!

Take a Break to Play

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,

For babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow,

So settle down cobwebs and dust go to sleep

For I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

--Unknown

Growing up, my mom had this poem posted up on the wall. It is a beautiful reminder that our children grow up way too fast. Sometimes what is most important is putting off all the chores of the day and remembering to take time to enjoy our children.

In the spirit of the season and of this poem, take a break from your chores today, go outside, and play in the colorful fall leaves with your kid. They will remember it and cherish it more than you may know.

The "Thank-you Tree"

Once again, in my plight to give Thanksgiving adequate attention (against Christmas's dominance), we started up a "thank-you tree." Each day of the month leading up to Thanksgiving, each member in our family will write up something they are thankful for on a paper leaf and tape it up onto our thank-you tree. We already had a tree painting in our playroom so it was pretty easy to just cut out leaves from a paper grocery bag and tape up the leaves onto our tree. But since most people don't have a giant tree painting somewhere in their house, you can easily make a cutout from paper and tape it up. Or you can also simply tape up colorful paper leaves around the house for decoration. Either way, it is great practice to take some time and think about what we are thankful for, and it's great to have the visual of the tree/leaves growing bigger each day.

The simple act of starting a thank-you tree can really help direct the focus on gratefulness, joy, and love that can be found all around us. I invite all of you to start up this wonderful tradition. Every morning now my three year old son bounces around, declaring that "it's time to do the thank-you tree!" With all the holiday madness already starting, it's nice to take the lessons of Thanksgiving and spread the joy of saying thanks all throughout the month.

Popcorn Turkey

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of Christmas getting all the focus as soon as Halloween is over. So in my attempts to call more attention to Thanksgiving, I made this popcorn turkey for my kids to have a fun holiday snack. It's super easy and didn't cost me a thing. I would love to seem incredibly clever and take all the credit for this idea but it was a Pintrest find. The following link is for the original creator's step by step instructions for this fantastic Thanksgiving themed snack: http://onecharmingparty.com/2010/11/02/the-kids-table-paper-bag-turkey/

This was such a fun and simple way to dress up a classic snack. Just a little effort can make for a fun memory for your kids. ;) Couple this snack with some jelly beans, pretzels, and toast while watching Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving and you could extend the holiday fun!