Pumpkin Bowling & 99 Other Fall Activities

Here is just one of 100 cute ideas for fall.  Click here for the list of all these fall festivities, ranging from craft to activity.

10 Recipes for Homemade Art Supplies

from: photo from Stock Xchange

The following recipes can be found by clicking here.

• Fingerpaint
• Watercolor paint
• Puffy paint
• Playdough
• Flubber
• Bath crayons
• Lick & stick stickers
• Bubble mix
• Sidewalk chalk
• Chalkboard paint

Moon Fun

from: picture from pinterest

Have some fun with your kids tonight.  Search for props inside your house and creatively dream up some scenarios.  You don't need to take a table outside, but the scissors are a pretty great idea.  Strategically place your kids, with various props, to make fun pictures with the moon.

Have them hold the moon

Have them cut the moon with scissors

Prop them on a box so they can rest lay on the moon with their arms and head

Hit the moon with a bat, as they are hitting a baseball

Hold the moon in a basket

Sweep the moon out of the sky with a broom

The possibilities are endless!  Please share your ideas or experiences below.

Hungry, Hungry Frogs

from:  picture and article from familyfun.go.com

Materials

 

• Paper plates
• Painting supplies
• Red pipe cleaners
• hot glue gun or glue dots
• Lightweight, strong magnets
• Black marker
• Tape
• Black tissue paper
• Paper clips
• Tacky glue
• Hungry, Hungry Frog Template (Click Here)

Instructions

1. For each frog puppet, paint two paper plates green and let them dry. Using our template (above) as a guide, cut the top of the frog and its eyes and feet from the green plates. Cut the bottom piece from a third plate.
2. For a tongue, twist two pipe cleaners together, folding over one end and curling the other into two spirals, as shown. Staple them to the frog bottom. Attach a lightweight, strong magnet (ours are about 1/2 inch wide) to the end of the tongue with glue dots or hot glue.
3. Staple the eyes to the frog top, draw eyeballs with black marker, and fold the eyes up. Cover the underside of the staples with tape. Leaving the back open for a hand, staple together the frog top and bottom. Add the back feet.
4. To make flies, roll 1- by 3-inch strips of black tissue paper around bent paper clips and secure the paper with tacky glue.
5. To play, scatter the flies on a table. At "Go," players use their frog's magnetic tongue to catch as many flies as they can - pulling them off the tongue with their free hand - and collect them in a pile. When all the fl ies are caught, see who has the most. (Be sure to supervise small children around small magnets.)

Homemade Gak

from: www.familyfuntips.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup  White Glue
• 1 gallon  Zip-Top Plastic Bag
• 1/2 tsp  Borax
• 1/3 cup  Warm Water
• Food Dye

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour 1 cup of white glue into a zip-top plastic bag (add your food coloring at this step if you are going to add it.

2. Mix 1/2 tsp. of borax with 1/3 cup warm water.

3. Slowly add to the white glue in the bag and gently knead until well mixed.

4. Drain any extra liquid.

Jenga - The New Academic Tool

from: article from www.teachforever.com, picture from pinterest

Let's use this idea to make a fun review for standardized test and end-of-year exams.  Cover the top and bottom of each block with vocabulary, short problems, clues for a larger puzzle, etc.  You can even make them into "flash" blocks, with a term or picture on one side and a concise definition on the opposite side.

Students play the game as they normally would, with one notable difference: when they remove a block, they have to do something with whatever is on it.  For example:

• In an algebra class, each block could contain linear and quadratic equations.  Students could write down each equation and work with them after the game ends--each student would have a random and (mostly) different set of problems to work with.  They could alternately quickly name some key piece of information about the given function, like the slope and y-intercept of the linear functions, before placing the blocks on top of the stack.
• In a social studies class, each block could contain vocabulary words that students would have to write down.  After the game, students would define and illustrate the key terms, then share them within their groups to build a complete study guide.
• In a chemistry class, each block could contain individual elements or reactions that students have to explain and/or solve.
• In an English/language arts class, blocks could contain the elements of a story that students could later put together into an original story.  Each piece could instead have authors and works studied during the year, and the kids would have to identify key information, write reflections, etc.

Glow Stick Bath Time

I know it is past July 4th, but this is still fun!  Our one and a half year old, LOVED bath time in a dark with glow sticks.  I froze them after she used them so we could play again. 

If you are going to the beach, a park at night or even in your backyard, these are perfect "before bedtime" surprise for your kids.  Make fun arrangements or spell words with these sticking/laying in the sand or dirt.

This is an affordable and fun activity that can be found at the dollar store.

Non-Cooked Homemade Playdough

from: instructables.com (photo from PlaydoughRecipe.org)

(Cooked playdough has a better texture, but this recipe is a little easier.)

Basic ingredient ratios:
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)

Optional:
*  food coloring (liquid, powder, or unsweetened drink mix)
*  scented oils

Click here if you want to go to the originating site for further instructions or photos of ingredients, should you have questions.

Alphabet Game

from: idea & photo from familyfun.go.com, brainstorming by yours personally

THE GAME: 

If you have a digital camera and a child learning his or her alphabet, look around your house or drive around your town to find the alphabet. 

THE CRAFT: 

• Take it a step further and create a fun visual of your child's name, the alphabet, your last name, or whatever you desire. 
• You could even print your visual out black and white for your child to color. 
• Make your visual into a puzzle.
• Turn your visual into alphabet flash cards.
• And, have fun!