gearing up for fall

 I love fall! I've only mentioned that a few times. And though we still have a week to go until it is officially here, I'm already in fall mode. I've been feeling so inspired by fall and have been trying to incorporate fall activities into our day. So here are some of the books we will be reading, some sensory bins I've made for fall, and some of Caleb's letter A homeschool things we've worked on this week. (and a few other random bits!!)

 

But first. Love these boys. Brothers and best friends.

( yes they wear helmets and shoes while they ride. I snapped the bottom pic right before caleb brought over his and lucas' helmet :))

 fall sensory inspired bins found here on pintrest (oatmeal and cinnamon sticks. popcorn kernels and cranberries. beans and cranberries. sprinkled in with target dollar bin acorns/pumpkins/leaves)

 

 Caleb's preschool sent home a newsletter with some fall books they will be reading for the month of September. I've checked them out at the library to have in our house to read together and there are a few more fall books I've placed a hold on at the library and will be picking up to read with the boys in the next coming weeks. (Pumpkin Circle, Leaf Man, One Red Apple, Mouse's First Fall are just a few)  What are your favorite fall children's stories?

 sensory bins and art

This morning the boys had fun with the sensory bins and reading the star apple story and then finding the star inside the apple and using the apple to paint with. Fantastic Fun and Learning has some great fall activities to do with kids and I love some of the projects Caleb's school has done in the past. You can read/see more of these on the links below...

here at fantastic fun and learning    and here at meadowlarkschool  (caleb's school) both these blogs inspired some of our fall activities we have done this week and some I plan to do this month.

Lastly here are some of the letter A things Caleb did this week.

Poking with push pins the letter A. Pre-writing practice. Patterns. Size sort. Dot page. lacing. Counting practice. And a couple puzzles. The letter of the week curriculum I'm using is from confessions of a homeschooler.

 

I'm having so much fun adding in some other fun things for the boys to do art wise and sensory bin wise. I'm hoping to do some fun science experiments with them too. D is so involved and after dinner caleb really likes working on things with dave. Honestly, it's hard not to get too sucked into pintrest or other blogs because there are so many fantastic ideas out there! I'm hoping to just do a little at a time and to follow the boys' lead with their interests. We are starting off slowly. Caleb's really into letters right now and their sounds and really interested in spelling different words and/or reading words. I love the idea I found on fantastic fun and learning's blog to write the letters of his name on pumpkin seeds :) I hope to do this in the next week or two. There are some great open ended play ideas using cinnamon sticks and buttons and cloth I would like to try out with them as well. Lucas is really into drawing right now. He is happy with a crayon and a piece of blank paper.

 

What are some of your favorite fall activities to do with toddlers?

 

baking. apple picking. raking leaves. nature walks. family evening walks. playing outside in the crisp autumn air. baked goods. fall food. these are just a few of my favorites!

 

In other news:

pregnancy 20weeks

 I can't believe I'm half way already. I'm just so excited to meet this little one and feeling the kicks a lot now makes me so happy. It's the best way to fall asleep. With D's hand tucked close feeling the kicks with me; warm and cuddled up. I'm still running and so grateful for that as running keeps me calm! This is my favorite stage of pregnancy, feeling the baby kicks and seeing the baby move around. Caleb loves coming up to hug the baby and to talk to him. Lucas loves saying the word baby :) We have a name we like and I'm hoping the boys won't spill the beans! Caleb wants the baby's name to be gus gus so I don't think he'll tell anyone the baby's real name :)

 After dinner- doing some counting/matching. D has a way with C let me tell you. Magic touch is daddy. I know who will be the homework helper in this house. It's funny cause he doesn't even realize how good he is but I wouldn't have passed my college math courses if not for him (same for my sister!) My early education math classes were so hard and D knew just the right way to explain it so I would understand. Caleb gets all fired up working on things with his daddy. Love their bond.

Plans for a SLO day trip this weekend. Ever just get homesick for some family time? We are all by ourselves here with both our families far away. It is hard and we miss them. A lot. Especially when they have a family get together that we are too far away to be a part of. Sometimes I just need to see my family but driving five hours won't do...so I put in the call-it goes like this...."who is up for a day in SLO?" and my mom and dad are always in. Sometimes we just need a day away for some fun.

 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!