Elmer's Early Learners Academy Kids Project: Tissue Paper Pumpkins

Since my little Ellie Belly turned 3 this summer and she started preschool a few days a week this fall, we have been using her "off" days to do some fun crafts that help to develop her fine motor skills. You know, the fine, precise thumb, finger, hand, and wrist movements involved in writing, cutting with scissors, buttoning up shirts and sweaters. She isn't developmentally delayed but we like to be on top of things so she can be ahead of the game....plus it's pretty sweet that she can button her own cardigans and put on her own socks!


We were sent an Elmer's Early Learners Academy Kit and asked to create an educational craft for the preschool aged set using their new Glue Sticks and Glue Pens designed specifically for preschool-aged children. These products have a unique triangular shape that helps kids develop fine motor skills. Perfect as that is exactly what we want to do with my Ellie!


I love crafting (duh!) but what I love even more is crafting with the littles that ends up being decorations for the house so that is exactly what we did. Our educational craft for Ellie was to make a pumpkin out of small tissue paper squares, a paper plate, a green popsicle stick, and the new glue pen from Elmer's.


She had so much fun! First I drew a small line on the backside of the paper plate where I wanted to to place the glue. She did traced it like a boss.


Then she pressed the green popsicle stick onto the glue...this was going to be our pumpkin's stem!


Then, flip the paper plate around and have your preschooler dab glue in small sections all over the plate. Take squares of tissue paper and scrunch them up and place them all over the glue on the paper plate.

Continue doing this until your paper plate is nicely covered in orange tissue paper.

And soon enough you will have yourself a cute little pumpkin to decorate your house with all the while practicing fine motor skills with your preschooler!

Now for the part where I need your help! :-) Elmer's is having a Pin it! And Win it! contest. I will pin a picture from this post on to my Pinterest account and if my Pin gets the most re-pins one of you will win your very own Elmer's Early Learner's Academy Kit, sweeet!!! 

Each Early Learners Academy kit includes:

·         Elmer’s Early Learners Glue Stick

·         Elmer’s Early Learners Glue Pen

·         Pom Poms

·         Jiggle Eyes

·         Buttons

·         Popsicle Sticks

·         Pipe Cleaners

·         Feathers

·         Construction Paper

·         Colored Tissue Paper

·         Scissors

·         Paper Plates

·         Glitter

·         Foam Cut-Outs

And in honest full disclosure, if I win I will receive a $200 VISA gift card too :-)

Thanks for helping re-pin this project! It is an easy and fun one to create!!

XOXO,

*This post is brought to you by Elmer's. All opinions are 100% my own.

Oldies but Goodies...Halloween Style!

I thought today I would do a little Round Up of a few of my favorite past Halloween/Fall crafty tutorials and recipes from my blog.  Many of them would be perfect for an upcoming Halloween party if you are hosting one!  They can all be done in one afternoon so if you have a bit of time to kill this weekend maybe you might want to give one or two a try.  Enjoy!

Happy Bat Crayons would make the perfect favors for a Halloween party!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins can liven up any room in your house...and the kids can help make them too, score!

How about making some Fall Boo Frames...everyone needs a little candy wrapper decoration in their life this time of year!

Need some treats for the kids?  Try these super easy and yummy Cornflake Pumpkins...

Or what about some Rice Krispie Pumpkins?  They are cute and easy to make!

If you have some little ghouls in you house they might like these Rice Krispie Eyeballs...oooh scary!

And this Pumpkin Pie Fruit Dip is always a hit at our house...great for a party too!

Hope you liked my little Round-Up!  It was really fun to look back at past posts (and then cringe at my photography!) I should do that more often though, really, it brings back some good memories and reminds me of a few things I want to make again! :-)

Happy Friday to You!

XOXO,

Red, Yellow, Green and Blue...These Are the Colors Over You

We have a lot of these on the ground these days.  I suppose this is one reason why living in the midwest is a good thing.  We get to experience all four seasons, some shorter than others, but four seasons nonetheless.  The one we are currently in is my all time favorite.  

Part of the joy of Fall is the ever changing leaves.  From green to yellow, gold, orange, and red.  Then slowly, one by one, they fall off the trees.

Last weekend one of our dear neighbors raked what was to be called "the world's biggest pile of leaves" by our little ones.  They were so sweet as to let Noah, Penelope, and Eloise play in it all day long.  They buried  themselves in it like it was sand on a beach.   Eloise even braved a climb to the top, my little mountaineer.

They ran, jumped, flipped, and slid the day away.  It's so fun to be a kid.

Lately, our days have been filled with taking in all that is Fall.  It is definitely one of our shorter seasons so enjoying every minute of it seems more than necessary.  

Many scooter rides have been taken trying our hardest to zoom over as many as leaves as possible...

We've even noticed that our neighborhood streets have been filled with lots of these, yours too?  Don't worry, these aren't ours, we aren't that quick with the yard work!  ;-)

We have been receiving our fair share of pretty leaf bouquets gathered by our favorite little hands.

And we've been enjoying an endless number of walks looking at all the changing colors...

Crunching on an exponential number of leaves.

Here's to more amazing Fall days!

PS.  I have loved all your guesses to the kids' Halloween costumes!  Some of you even guessed right while others have given me some great ideas for coordinating costumes for next year.  We have a Halloween shin-dig this weekend where the kids get to wear their costumes so I'll try to get some pictures of them in their completed costumes to show you what I made for them!

Happy Friday!

XOXO, 

Apple Strudel {Recipe}

I was browsing through my Recipes section of this here blog and realized that I have never, never ever, posted this Apple Strudel recipe for you, whaaat?  This dessert is a staple at our house every apple season.  And if you so happen to visit my house in the months of September, October or November chances are you will be served this awesome plate of apple happiness...play dates, football games, or just good 'ol hanging out, it will be there and gone in a flash...it's that good :-)  

  

I found this recipe in one of Martha's Everday Food issues a few years back.  

Best. Easy. Apple. Recipe. Ever.  

No lie.

Martha rocks.

I have used loads of different random apple varieties and it always turns out delish.  Try it for your next big...or little...gathering, you won't be sorry!

Apple Strudel -print this recipe HERE-

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed 

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2 lbs Gala or Fuji apples (about 6 medium), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  Lightly flour your work surface, unfold pastry and roll out to 12 x 14 inch rectangle.  Place on sheet.  In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.  Add apples, 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon.  Increase heat to medium-high and cook apples while tossing occasionally until they are tender, about 15 minutes.  Let cool. Add apple filling to the center of the pastry dough leaving a 1-inch border along both long sides. Fold top part, then bottom part of dough over filling, flip pastry over seam side down.  Brush with remaining butter, melted.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over top.  Cut slits as steam vents in center of pastry.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.  

3 pounds of crazy apple goodness...all sorts of varieties.  These apples were pretty small so I needed a lot more then 6.

Core, peel and thinly slice the apples...sometimes I get lazy and don't peel :-)

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat...

Add in the apple slices...

Sprinkle in the sugar and cinnamon and stir it all together...

Cook for about 15 minutes or until the apple slices are nice and tender. 

While the apples are cooking, lightly flour the puff pastry and roll it our to a 12 x 14 inch rectangle.  

Once the apples are cooked and cooled, mound them into the center of the pastry dough...

Fold the dough around the apples and flip it so the seam side is down.  Brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter over top and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Cut a few slits over the top center to act as steam vents and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  

Nice and golden brown...perfect!

Then slice it up for dessert...or breakfast :-)

Check out all those apples.

This strudel is loaded with a ridiculous amount of apples!

Enjoy!

XOXO,