Blustery Fall Days

Today the boys and I made our escape out into the fleeting sunshine.  The light seemed to dodge leaves and poke in and out of branches making the world a speckled glory to behold:  Orange leaves, red leaves, and even green leaves danced.  It is surprising how so close to November there are still so many leaves on the trees.

This is one of the longer fall seasons than I can remember in the Northwest.  Perhaps it is because after over two months of no rain it was only about 2 weeks ago when the blustery winds of autumn and the drenching drizzle returned.

Our oak tree is just now turning red.
The serviceberry: red.
Cherry trees and plum trees: just changing from green to yellow and orange

It seems as though only the big leaf maple has lost its leafs & they now make up a patchwork ground cover.

The Indian Plum still has green leaves, even though the boys and I discovered today that new buds are already formed- a sign that spring will come.
The thimbleberry is yellow and has lost the softness  you can feel when it is green.
The salal is mostly yellow.

The shore pine has a fair share of reddish needles- but will stay green all winter.

There are three plants that are flowering.  One I don't recall its name- but it keeps blossoming bright pink.
There are some dahlias.
There is one echinacea cone flower.

Indeed there are so many colors to note, that I am trying hard to remember each one from our walk around the yard.

Today we just took in the breeze.  Looked about.  S commented that he heard a bird and while we were quiet in a cozy hawthorne covered corner.  A squirrel stopped to lick its paws only a few feet away from us.

Today we "walked" the yard.  It is a tradition that I have written about before & yet sometimes it seems hard to slow down so much.  Nevertheless, it is magical when we do.

We found a "purple" snail.  It wasn't so much its shell that was purple, but its body was an iridescent purple.
We found a "white" cocoon in a leaf.   We wondered what it will become and hope to watch its progression.

Then we went inside for warm cocoa.
It was a lovely fall day.

Outdoor playgroup can happen even on wet ground

A tarp and a blanket made for a cozy art space. Here Grandma and my boys practiced with a hole punch and later practiced using scissors while waiting for other folks to show up.

Making a tree house for an imaginary bear and elephant

Making a tree house for an imaginary bear and elephant during the last rays of light on a fall day.

I find it wonderful to have young children whose imaginations are so alive. Today, even after T came in to get ready for dinner, S stayed outside under the plum tree. I am not sure if he was continuing to add to his tree house or if he was just imagining bear and elephant in the tree. In any case he stayed outside for an extra ten minutes- just having time to himself under the tree, the last rays for light twinkling through the leaves.

Adventure Playgrounds & Dinosaurs

Yesterday the boys had a great play time with the neighbors. In reflecting on what made it work, besides the fact that it is a lush garden with a maze of paths and chickens- is that there are various "loose parts" in the yard. Here the boys are using pieces of wood to build a "shelter" for their dinosaurs.

Upcoming Tot Hikes By Seattle Parks

Today we had another great family day at Carkeek Park, between the meadow, the forest and the beach- it was a day of bliss.  We even saw a red tailed hawk hunting, although I think the boys mostly observed the crows and seagulls behavior surrounding this event. 

In any case,  I was very happy to see on a bulletin board that they offer Tot Treks at their three Environmental Learning Centers.  I hope to see and hear of more classes in the future!

Parachute Games

The last few times that I have done my Play and Learn I have had a parachute.  It is always a success and yet I have had a hard time remembering some of the great activities to do with it.  Thanks to a really helpful book Great Games for Young Children by Rae Pica I have some reminders.   Just looking at the parachute section titles --games came flooding back.  For those of you interested in planning your own detailed lesson plans her book  gives details on the games and also explains what cognitive, physical and social emotional development themes each activity addresses.

Here are a few of the activities I thought were the best:
Rotate it...
Circle with it ...on tiptoes, marching, galloping, jumping and hopping.
Play Elevator....as you raise parachute talk about elevators going up.
Simon says where people move the parachute to different parts of their body....or doing different activities with the chute.
Roll around a ball around it.  ( I remember this being challenging even when I was working with teenagers)
 Making Waves ( In which I would tell a story about a storm on the water.)
Popcorn: Using balls, or leaves or cotton, or flower petals try to keep "seasonal" things on the parachute.
Get the ball through the hole in the middle.

Years ago I worked at a camp where we had Hmong Family Day.  From elders to the very young there were smiles as the parachute went up and down.  Just as circle games have been played throughout the years and across cultures, the parachute brings people who might not "dance" together, collaborating and laughing.