October Events and Fieldtrips

This can be a fun month to get out and do things. The weather is cooler, but there are still often days that are great for those outdoor activities, so take advantage of it while it lasts. Go hiking, play at a new park, collect leaves and pinecones, or check out one of these places:

Thanksgiving Point Gardens--these are only open until October 27th, so go see what's there before its too late! Of particular interest for anyone with kids would be the Children's Discovery Garden. They even have a link from their website for a self guided tour you can print out before you go so you'll be ready to talk about the various habitats and animals you'll see. It's aimed more for grade school ages, but you could certainly adapt the information to use with younger children as well.

Thanksgiving Point Farm --This does stay open through the winter, but it can get pretty cold and windy. They have lots of animals to see and even offer pony and wagon rides, which just sound like an autumn activity. And there are some great hands-on learning opportunities, including a chance to "milk a cow"--let your kids see where their milk is coming from. Bring along a lunch and some hot chocolate if its chilly and have fun learning about the farm animals with your kids.

Haunted house or corn maze--there are too many to list, but a few that are more family oriented and suitable for all ages are the Haunted Canyon in Provo Canyon (this is a spooky train ride--sounds fun!), Halloween Central at Thanksgiving Point, Halloween Cruise on the Provo River, and Pumpkinland at the Vineyard Garden Center in Orem.

For more ideas, check out the Provo Library website for links to festivals, events, sports and more.

October Crafts and Activities

Wizened apple faces--Peel and core a large apple, carve a little away to suggest eyes, nose, and a mouth. Then place the apple in a bowl filled with salt water or lemon juice for about 30 min. Dry the apple gently, spear it from below with a pencil and place in a long-necked jar. The apple will dry and shrink over the next few weeks and start to look like an old, weathered face. You can decorate the jar with fabric or paint to make clothing for you apple person.

Pressed Autumn Leaves--just find leaves that are not too dry and press them inside a heavy book (protect the pages by putting down paper on each side of the leaf.

Leaf Prints--use a sponge to cover one side of the leaf with ink or paint, lay the leaf where you'd like a print, cover with newspaper or a paper towel, firmly rub (you can use a rolling pin or your hand). You can decorate cards, wrapping paper, picture frames, etc. . .

More leaf fun: leaf rubbings, mapleleaf crown (just link the leaves putting their stems through a slit in the next leaf)

Corn necklace--soak kernels of Indian corn in water for a day or so, then use a needle and thread to string them.

Roast pumpkin seeds--clean, salt, bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan a couple times. Remove when crisp and dry, before they turn brown.

Preschool at home

For those of you who attended the "Help for Mom" class, this is an overview of the class on doing your own preschool:

*Set aside a specific time each day.
*Have a set location for your "class"--ideas for location: linoleum piece painted with shapes for each child to sit on, carpet remnants in different shapes or colors for each child.
*Have a set routine--most kids thrive on routines and knowing what is coming up next (for example, start with 10 min. of show and tell, 10 mintues songs, 10 minutes learning stations, 10 min. lesson).
*Remember their attention span is very short--10 min. max! Keep things really simple and short
*Be flexible--some things will take way longer than you think, others they will be done with before you are done setting up--always have a couple back-up activities.
*Let the kids take their time learning and HAVE FUN with them--the most important thing at this age (and really, any age) is that they learn to love learning.

If anyone is interested in a GREAT starter reading program to contact Tracey Minaker--she has all the details.

And remember to use music--look at your local library for great compilations of kids CD's--there are songs to learn just about anything and its just fun to dance around and get silly.