Fun Fall Activities for Week #9

We had a fun week and I believe it's all due to me spending less time online and PLANNING some fun things to add to our week. I found a fun fall photo scavenger hunt list over at Go Explore Nature's website and we spent Monday morning out in the chilly fall air searching for things on the printable list.  

I found this fun fall art project and all you need is watercolor paper, paint, and glue. We really had a lot of fun with this one. The thicker the glue the better, but it will take a while to dry. The children had fun mixing the colors on this one. I was actually out of watercolor paper, but thicker drawing paper worked fine.

For our second fun fall art project, I used this printable for the tree and then we just used craft paint and Q-tips to paint our fall trees. I honestly thought the children would think this was too "preschoolish" but they loved it and I even did one and enjoyed it too.

We also made a fall dessert and it was so easy. It's called "Peanut Butter Cookie Pizza." The kids loved taking the crushed up candy and decorating it. I forgot to buy a bag of chocolate chips to melt for the topping, but I just whipped up some homemade chocolate frosting instead and it was very good. I used the frosting recipe for Hershey's Best Brownies.

We experienced a lot of cool fall weather this week and the children had to dress warmer and requested hot tea and hot chocolate often. Below, you can see my little one sipping on a cup of tea while working on her book report and my other daughter all wrapped up in her warm bath robe while working on her copywork.

One day, my son had a buddy helping him out with his math. We enjoyed playing Blokus a few times and I absolutely love playing that game. After day two of playing, my son didn't want to play anymore but I did. So I told him he had to because I was requiring it as part of his school work. My husband found a neat history resource for us and on Columbus Day we enjoyed watching it. It is called "Crash Course." When my husband sent me the link he told me that if he was a history teacher, this is how he'd teach and when I watched it I could actually see it. My husband is an amazing teacher and I'm so thankful for all the ways he helps educate our children.

We are nearing the end of our Civil War studies and I have learned so much through all the books we are reading. Do you also learn right alongside your children? Teaching history primarily through literature has truly increased my knowledge of history. The children finished Turn Homeward, Hannalee this week and we are about finished with our photobiography of Abraham Lincoln. For our read aloud, we are reading Across Five Aprils.  As soon as we finish our photobiography of Lincoln the children will begin their first big report of the year on him.

I had a pretty cool moment here this week. I was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a nice cup of hot tea and my son was doing math on the computer, one daughter was working on her copywork at the table, and my other daughter was working on a book report at the table. It was a special and encouraging moment to have all three of my children working independently. Isn't that our job as parents - to help our children grow into independent learners? I am starting to see it more and more in my children and I am thankful.

This week I am linking up with Homegrown Learner's Collage Friday. Check out the link-up and you will be blessed with encouragement and inspiration.