Fall Fun for Kids

Cooler days, falling leaves, a vibrant landscape of gold and orange and Halloween lurking just around the corner; Fall has arrived with all its magic and there are so many things to do in the garden that fall will cast its magic spell on the young and the young at heart alike.

There is nothing quite as enticing as a pile of fallen leaves for a child, the urge to jump, kick and disperse them is something instinctive. But before they begin playing in the leaves get those little gardening hands on a pint sized rake and let them help rake the leaves, gardening is mostly play and some work, at least it is for tots.  Here are some great ideas for fall gardening fun:

1. Fall is a wonderful time to talk to kids about leaves, their different shapes and colors; you could play a matching game and see if they can match the fallen leaves with the right tree.
2. If you want to bring the outdoors inside just bring some leaves indoors and make some fall art.  Use the leaves in a collage, all you need is paper (construction is sturdier and brightly colored) and some glue then you are in business; have little hands glue the leaves to the paper to make a fall scene all their own.
3. Have the kids grab some wax paper and a crayon and place a nice fresh leaf (a dry one will just crumble) under the waxed sheet and gently rub the crayon over the body of the leaf and see the leaf come to life on the top of the paper, magic!  Leaf rubbing is fun, fun, fun and a great way to bring the garden inside on chillier days.
4. What would fall be without a pumpkin? Carving a pumpkin has to be top of  any kids list for Halloween fun and fun it shall be from start to finish.  Fun can be educational too and teaching your kids about helping the environment and not wasting the earth’s resources need not be terrifyingly dull, here’s how to make it thrilling:
5. Let the kids pick out their own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and not the store.  Talk to them about how pumpkins are grown or take a tour of a working pumpkin farm; some farms will let you ride out to the area where the pumpkins are grown and actually choose  the pumpkin from the earth, incredibly cool!
6.  Carving pumpkins is and brings out the kid in the most grown up of grownups.  Get creative, be safe and make it a fun, family affair that will always be remembered  Wash the seeds, shake them with salt and a drizzle of oil and bake them in the over,  scarily delicious.
7.  Bake a frighteningly good pumpkin pie with the flesh of the pumpkin, sounds ominous but tastes delicious.
8.  Lastly, when Halloween has scared its last victim, cut up the pumpkin and have the children  add it to the composter or leave it out for the squirrels to munch on.  Either way the kids will see just how one fruit , yes pumpkins are the world’s biggest berries,  can be used from start to finish.

Fall is a magical time of year and if seeing is believing  just watch your kids become bewitched by autumn, that’s the enchantment of nature.

Even now Halloween is still one of my favorite holidays; I guess I’m just a kid at heart. Although I’m no longer the kid that could sit down and eat half  my Halloween booty in one night, I’m  still known to raid my kids bag to find my childhood favorites. But now-a-days I go for the healthier treats to eat and to give out.

In this day in age where our first concerns are about safety and childhood obesity, I like to offer options of treats that are more along the lines of low-calorie and low-fat. Besides the fact that many of these treats kids love, they also make great snacks for their lunch boxes.

Treats to Give

Here are some ideas of health conscience treats to get you started:

• Cheese and cracker packages (look for low-sodium)
• Sugar-free gum
• Juice box packages (100%)
• Small packages of nuts or raisins
• Package of instant cocoa mix
• Peanuts in the shell
• Snack size microwave popcorn (low-sodium)
• Goldfish crackers snack packages
• Cereal bars
• Pretzel packages

You could also consider giving some non-food treats, such as stickers, crayons, pencils, colored chalk, erasers, small games, baseball cards, ponytail holders, rubber insects or worms. A few times when I ran out of treats I even gave out money (change) but with today’s economy a little won’t go a long way and you might need that money for gas.

Trick-or-Treating

To help fight the temptation of  digging into their goodie bag before they get home, you want to make sure children eat a meal or snack before going  trick-or-treating.

When children return home, check the treats and keep only treats which are unopened.

Be sure to inspect fruits and homemade goods for anything suspicious. (Unfortunately, I usually throw these treats away unless I know who they came from)

It’s better to eat trick-or-treat candy over several weeks as a substitute for dessert or a few pieces along with a healthy snack.

Halloween Party

If you’ve opted for a Halloween party instead of, or before trick-or-treating this can be a lot of fun. Reduce safety concerns and be nutritious as well.

I know for any event with kids Pizza is always a favorite, it’s easy, it serves many and the kids love it. For Halloween why not put a spin on it and let the kids help make their own. Mini Pizzas; Let kids arrange sliced olives, green peppers, red peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, and other things on English muffins or bagels brushed with tomato sauce. Top with grated cheese and heat in the microwave or oven until the cheese melts. They can even make pizza faces and use the cheese for hair.

Treats for your party could include colored popcorn, apples with peanut butter, frozen grapes, carrot and celery sticks with fun dips with names like witches brew and goblins goo, spider crackers; two Ritz crackers, with peanut butter, small pretzel sticks as spider legs, and two raisins with a little peanut butter to stick to the cracker as eyes, banana or apple chips, string cheese, low-fat or non-fat ice cream with chocolate syrup and scary worms on top.

The key to a healthy Halloween Party or any kids’ party is to watch portion sizes and adjusting the focus from foods to activities.

Have fun and don’t forget the scary music!

Cooler days, falling leaves, a vibrant landscape of gold and orange and Halloween lurking just around the corner; autumn has arrived with all its magic and there are so many things to do in the garden that fall will cast its magic spell on the young and the young at heart.

Here are some great ideas for fall gardening fun:

1. Fall is a wonderful time to talk to kids about leaves, their different shapes and colors; you could play a matching game and see if they can match the fallen leaves with the right tree.
2. If you want to bring the outdoors inside just bring some leaves indoors and make some fall art. Use the leaves in a collage, all you need is paper (construction is sturdier and brightly colored) and some glue then you are in business; have little hands glue the leaves to the paper to make a fall scene all their own.
3. Have the kids grab some wax paper and a crayon and place a nice fresh leaf (a dry one will just crumble) under the waxed sheet and gently rub the crayon over the body of the leaf and see the leaf come to life on the top of the paper, magic! Leaf rubbing is fun, fun, fun and a great way to bring the garden inside on chillier days.
4. What would fall be without a pumpkin? Carving a pumpkin has to be top on
   any kids’ list for Halloween fun and fun it shall be from start to finish. Fun can be educational
   too and teaching your kids about helping the environment and not wasting the earth’s
   resources need not be terrifyingly dull, here’s how to make it thrilling:
5. Let the kids pick out their own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and not the store. Talk
   to them about how pumpkins are grown or take a tour of a working pumpkin farm; some
   farms will let you ride out to the area where the pumpkins are grown and actually choose
   the pumpkin from the earth, incredibly cool!
6. Carving pumpkins is fun and brings out the kid in the most grownup of grownups.
   Get creative, be safe and make it a fun, family affair that will always be remembered.
   Wash the seeds, shake them with salt and a drizzle of oil and bake them in the over,
   scarily delicious, then bake a frighteningly good pumpkin pie with the flesh of the pumpkin.
7. Lastly, when Halloween has scared its last victim, cut up the pumpkin and have the children
   add it to the composter or leave it out for the squirrels to munch on. Either way the kids will
   see just how one fruit, yes pumpkins are the world’s biggest berries, can be used from start
   to finish.

Fall is a magical time of year and if seeing is believing, just watch your kids become bewitched by autumn, that’s the enchantment of nature.

a fall favorite of young and old alike

6 small apples, Granny Smith
1 package caramels (14 oz.)
2 tbsp. milk
1 cup chopped nuts
6 Popsicle sticks
Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Empty nuts onto the paper and divide into six equal heaps. Leave as much space as possible between each heap.

Wash and dry the apples. Twist off the stems and push Popsicle sticks half way onto the apples where the stems used to be.

Heat unwrapped Caramels and 2 tbsp. milk in large saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring until caramels are melted and smooth. Or place in micro-wave on low until the caramels are melted.

Dip apples into melted caramel, spooning caramel over apples to coat. Allow excess caramel to drip off, scraping bottom if necessary.

Place each apple, stick side up, onto a heap of nuts and roll over to cover.

Refrigerate until the caramel is firm, about 1/2 hour.

HAVE FUN!

Variations:

For Chocolate Lovers –
Chocolate Caramel Apples; Once caramel apples are set, melt chocolate candy coating according to package directions. Dip set caramel apples completely in chocolate. Allow excess to drain. Place on wax paper. Sprinkle with chopped nuts or coconut.

Or  once the caramel apples are set you can just drizzle them with melted white and dark chocolate for an eye catching treat.

OREO Cookies – roll caramel apple in finely crushed OREO Cookies.

Drain excess caramel and place upright on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator until set.

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