Fall Suncatcher: Fun in the Fall

Make a beautiful sun catching pumpkin with a couple of materials and your nearest toddler! Click on “Read More” after the picture and let’s get started!

Danger is excited about learning, about experiencing new things, and she’s even excited just spending time with Mom and Dad. I know this will change eventually, so I’m soaking it up! Just now, we are starting to hear the terrible two anthem, “NO! NO! No-no-no!” Ugh, you’d think with this kid’s vocabulary, she could spice it up a little. Just kidding!

I am enjoying Fall this year, as I do most years after having moved to Seattle. And even though most people who live here wouldn’t say fall is their favorite time of year, there is something about the way the air smells and the way the day fades that just makes me smile. 
 
Because the weather has been nice here (okay, nice for Seattle), we have gotten to play outside a lot as a family and really enjoy Fall. Something as mundane a task as raking leaves is fun when Jeff makes Elise a little rake so she can help. Seriously – how stinkin’ cute is that sawed-off shrub rake?! 
 
 
The next day – and nope, that is not a typo; we have two huge oak trees in front so we get PLENTY of raking opportunities – Elise even got to help load the lawn debris bin. She was really excited to help Dad tamp down the leaves. 
 

 

 

 

We thought Elise would have fun picking out a pumpkin and carving it this year, so we visited a pumpkin patch near Uncle John and Aunt Becky’s. They came along and helped Elise with the finer points of choosing the perfect pumpkin, or “pun-kin,” as Danger says. 
 

 

 

 

After Elise’s nap that day – which was carb-induced, thanks to a dim-sum lunch – we talked about how the pumpkins grow in the patch. We also chatted about how and why they are carved for Halloween and how the pulp is cooked to make the BEST filler for pie (sorry apple, but pumpkin pie is my absolute FAVORITE). 
 
I definitely wanted her help preparing the seeds so we could roast them for a yummy snack even though they aren’t something I’m going to give her yet. With the way they break apart into little mouth daggers and her ever-present teething pains, this momma is not game. We did have tons of fun preparing them though. As I was digging out the seeds, she just kept saying, “eeewww” over and over as she frowned and stuck her hands into the colander. 
 

 

We are still learning through play and creation, as usual, and have discovered the awesomeness that is contact paper crafting. Oh. My. Goodness. If you have a toddler, I urge you to get some clear contact paper. Heck, even if you don’t have a toddler, get some!
 
Within hours of Jeff picking it up from Home Depot (on a run for leaf bags), we used it to “laminate” some fallen leaves Elise discovered on our daily walk. We cut out the colorful, contact paper-encased leaves and strung them on some embroidery thread for a simple garland. 
 
The next day, I prepared a pumpkin craft for Danger and she had a blast! Who knew pieces of tissue and contact paper could be so entertaining? 
 
We hung it on her bedroom window so she could enjoy the colors filtering through. Now there is more contact paper art in Fall colors hung next to it, along with the leaf garland. Nearly every morning until I open her curtains, she says, “can we see pun-kin now?” 
 

 

 

We are so grateful for this time and will enjoy filling our days with Fall fun until winter comes. I hope you do too! 

 

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