2014 Fall Fun To Do List

We're gearing up for another season change, which means that we've made another To Do List to keep the kids occupied and having fun! We've done these lists for the past several years (see a few of them here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2013/08/fall-fun-to-do-list.html, http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2013/11/holiday-season-to-do-list.html, http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/01/iowa-winter-fun-to-do-list.html, http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/03/springsummer-fun-2014-to-do-list.html).

Most of our 2014 Fall list are repeats of last year because we had an amazing 2013 fall. Our goal this year is to go to one or two pumpkin patches: one that is a simple pumpkin patch that doesn't have thousands of people around (as our horrid experience last year with Center Grove Orchard) and possibly Howell's in Cumming, Ia. The kids also want to have a Halloween party this year with all of their friends. This will depend on the weather because our house can most definitely not fit 50+ people! Without further ado, our 2014 Fall Fun To Do List:

• Maquoketa Caves State Park
• Hiking at Ledges State Park to see the fall colors
• Nature hike at Jester Park
• Slides at Walker Johnson Park
• Painting with leaves
• Painting with pinecones
• Nature collage
• Dried corn kernal sensory bin
• Go to a pumpkin patch
• Go apple picking
• Painting with apples
• Carve pumpkins
• Have a Halloween/Fall party
• Play with pumpkin goop
• Make pumpkin slime and play dough
• Make pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins
• Go to a football game
• Night Eyes
• The Winter Market in November
• Neighborhood trick or treating with friends
• Look at the stars on a cool night
• Beaverdale Fall Festival
• Try out a new chili recipe once a week (we did this last year and LOVED our Sunday dinners)
• Make ghost puppets and put on a show
• Fly a kite on a windy day
• Drink apple cider
• Go to the farmer's market for fall goodies
• Paint or color pumpkins

Fall has become one of my favorite times of year with crisp days, pumpkin lattes, apple cider, freshly picked apples, and beautiful colors all around. What are your plans on a crispy cool fall day? What do you look forward to every fall?

Berenstain Bears Day

I've been quite the lucky daycare provider this week with happy kids who just want to play (all of my activities have been saved for next week) and read books. Being someone who loves to read, I was happy to comply with hour long reading times each day. One day I pulled out a Berenstain Bears book and the kids responded "I love that book!" "Can we read another?" So I decided to devout an entire day to Berenstain Bears books and activities.

The kids liked the activities, but enjoyed the hour long reading time and spent most of the day flipping through the books and "reading" them to each other.

Our stack of Berenstain Bears books we read. Most of these were mine when I was a kid.

I told the kids color the Bear's tree house. These wooden shapes can be found at Michael's for .29 a piece.

During morning snack of yogurt and carrots, we read "The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food." After we finished the book, we talked about what was healthy for us and what wasn't. "Are carrots good for our bodies?" All of the kids answered "yes!" However, when we got to "is candy good for you?" they responded "well, it tastes good!"

The kids decorated bear masks and wore them while we read stories, watched a Berenstain Bears movie, and had some fun re-enacting several of the books. At one point there were four Sister Bears around!

The DVD the kids watched. It was silent in the house while this was on!

Of course the kids got a few Gummi Bears while watching the Berenstain Bears movie.

We had an hour long story time, reading the entire stack of Berenstain Bears books. After naps, the kids flipped through the books, looked at the pictures, and "read" the books to each other.

I had said earlier this week that theme days were pretty much done until next summer, but the kids have been so into reading this week that I wanted to do a theme day to go along with our books. Next week we'll be doing a Dr. Seuss Day which will include a few Dr. Seuss activities and green eggs and ham for lunch!