Making stamps out of potatoes is a cool activity for children – and a great way to introduce them to the craft of stamping and printmaking. Depending on the paint or ink used, potatoes can be stamped onto paper, wood or fabric. We made a paper Halloween Banner but kids can also make greeting cards, decorate a t-shirt or personalize their own napkins with potato stamping!
You do not have to be an uber crafter to get in the Halloween mood. There are plenty of ways to get crafty with kids—some ideas require a bit more planning or set up (making shadow puppets) and other projects (drawing on pumpkins with markers) are perfect if you are short on time or would rather not make a mess.
Now that it’s fall, our family welcomes the change of season and we look forward to carrying on traditions that celebrate autumn, the natural colors and the holidays including trips to favorite spots, foods made from local harvests, and activities rooted in fall.
Traditions connect our children with our personal and cultural history and form the memories they will later share with their friends and families. Stemming from religion, birthplace, seasons, or revolving around a treasured activity or possession, as parents we decide how to carry on, blend or create new traditions. They may be small or grand but it is the repetition and memories around the ritual that make them meaningful to us.
Any pile of sand can be magically transformed to castle status with the addition of a small flag. Make a bunch and pack them in your beach bag to add pops of color to your day in the sun.
Materials: Waterproof material such as a shopping bag or oil cloth, Wooden toothpicks, Glue stick, and Sharp scissors
Feeling the pressure of facing another season with an unproductive garden? Are your less than attentive gardening methods causing your neighbors to scowl? Feeling like you’d rather be beaching it this summer than pulling weeds?
For me, it’s all of the above. So we’re trying a no-fail, maintenance free approach this year. We’ve turned our notoriously unsuccessful backyard plot into a Fairy Garden. It’s easy, cheap, better looking than my poor excuse for a garden last year, and fun for the kids…huge points for me!
