Crafts with Fall leaves.....

We started with our Fall leaf crafts today but have more to do over the next few days when we have more time. I plan to do a 'mini album' or work in their art journals with them using ideas from the online workshop I am doing - some of the prompts will work well with children. I also think with the weather due to change, that it is time to pull out the childrens books we have about Fall.....poetry and childrens stories......and maybe one day this week we will go to a coffee shop for a hot chocolate/ pumpkin flavoured treat and savour the flavours of Fall! Mmmmm :) Sure beats being stuck in a classroom!!!

Leaf collecting...

This afternoon we went out and collected some Fall leaves. we tried to collect as many different types as possible - different colours, shapes, sizes, textures.....some with holes in them..some with spots on them etc etc.

We played outside for a while on the rope swing in the woods and enjoyed a Fall walk. Our pond had dried up and we talked about how our bees can no longer drink from there any more and how they need to be given drinks now. We met the school bus.

We brought the leaves we had collected back home and used them for crafts at the table.

Lunch bag puppets...

Abigail made a version of our cat Grayson - but as a puppet from a lunch bag! Then she brought it upstairs to show me her handiwork!!!

Another creation....

Using up some craft supplies from this Summers craft drawers...the blue 'thing' is actually a bone that Sam found on a walk (sigh....) and he was so thrilled with it that he wanted to bring it home, wash it and paint it!!! Anyway it made a nice addition to the little village of tipi's..... ;)

From the art class...

Here are a couple of Abigails pieces from her art class....they are from yesterdays class on Van Gogh. The second picture is based on his Sunflowers....perfect for this time of year and is now decorating the hall table - I think this is definitely one I will frame!!!! I just LOVE it!!!

Abby seems to have struck up several friendships in the class and I think i'll blame that for the fact she seems to have forgotten how to spell her name (lol) and needs to write her name twice on all her work - both ways might I add! Maybe if she wasn't such a chatterbox like her Mother she wouldn't be so distracted and would get her name right anyway ;)

Painting treasure boxes....

Fall is here....

Abigail - some iphone snapshots!!

Susannah - some iphone snapshots!!!

Woodland swing....

Playing on the rope swing in the woods this afternoon. It was a gorgeous afternoon and they had said it might be the last of the +20 days so despite feeling under the weather I took the children into the woods for as walk to make the most of it!! You can check out what we were up to, over on the homeschooling blog!

Our pond...

Or at least it WAS a pond.....

THIS is how dry it is here...our pond has completely dried up now - the bees are flying around it desperately trying to find moisture there. We have now had to start giving them a water supply apart from their syrup - they normally just take water from the pond but now that is not there we have to provide water.

They are forecasting a much milder winter than normal - but we NEED snow this year - without a lot of snow our wells are going to be in trouble next year. We are back with a fire ban in our county again because of how dry it is - and if we don't get moisture through the Fall, Winter and Spring - then next Summer will be even worse.

We have never seen our pond like this before. Perhaps it has been like this before we moved here but not since we moved here. So sad - where are the frogs?????

Can you see the darkest brown GRASS - not the mud or the first layer of dark grass, but the TOP layer of dark grasses - well THAT is where the water level normally is!!!!!! Shocking!!!!! We normally have fish in this pond all summer to keep the mosquito larvae at bay....It is normally full of frogs and all kinds of wildlife - the deer and moose normally come here to drink in the early mornings. The dogs love to swim in it. It is a haven for dragonflies in the evenings.....and now it is gone!

From one of my favourite blogs!!!

lets-explore.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/house_count.pdf

I love having simple little ideas like this ready to give Abigail and Sam when I am busy doing other things like making dinner!! It is something that Sam can help Abigail with!!

The Lets Explore blog is a great blog with ideas for younger homeschoolers!! It also often has great links to other blogs and sites and useful online stores!!!

Fall in love...

I'm taking part in an online workshop this week - it's to create a small journal/ mini album about Fall. So far I am taking part online but not actually working on my album - I am doing the theoretical work and the prep work but will do the 'practical' work of making the album this weekend. As usual though, I am loving the course and feeling very inspired. Kara's ideas and prompts are always so wonderful! Even though the weather here has been so very Summery, her ideas and creativeness have me almost thirsting for Fall!

We are hoping to take our Fall family walk this weekend - an annual tradition where we take certain photographs at a specific location. I am hoping for some blustery, Autumn-like weather!!

Yet again Strathcona County is under a total fire-ban. the ground is sooooo very dry and now with the leaves falling to add to the problem, it is just very very dangerous. No more quad biking or fire pits for a while! We are in desperate need of rain (or dare I say it snow, sigh)