{I started writing this post 2 weeks ago as October was ending…just now getting around to finishing it & posting. Oh well. Better late than never, right?}
Hudson & I so enjoyed the coolness of the fall that October brought. We read some fun books about apples & pumpkins. We got to visit the pumpkin patch. We made pumpkin pie play-dough. We made an apple pie & ate oodles of delicious honeycrisp apples. We thanked the Lord for the gladness that harvest time brings. October was fun.
October was also a c.r.a.z.y. month full of events. Hanging out with friends. The World Series. Sickness. Daddy out of town. Company in town. Celebrating new babies. A funeral. On & on…
I had a lot of fun “apple-y pumpkin-y” activities planned for us to do that we never got to.
And if I am being honest, I had to fight some guilt over that…that if I was a “better” momma we would have accomplished more learning & activities. {Or posted this 2 weeks ago. Or actually finished the laundry for once.}
I don’t know about you but I find that since becoming a mother I am even more susceptible to believe lies that my goodness and merit and worth are rooted in my actions & my doing.
When the truth is, I have no, zero, zilch goodness or merit or worth of my own and I am completely unable to earn any by my actions. My worth is only found in Christ. I am able to teach, train, parent, love my children only through Christ.
I am praying that you mommas who read this are able to allow the sweetness & hope of that truth to sink deeply into your heart.
This is one of those seasons that we can completely fill with busy-ness and absolutely miss the boat when it comes to actually enjoying family, growing hearts of thankfulness, and anticipating the celebration of our Savior’s birth. Believe me, I am queen of busy-ness. I am begging the Lord to remind me to slow down and really soak Him in & dwell on the beauty of this season. Praying the same for you & your family.
With that said, here is the rundown on {Tot School} in October.
{Theme: Apples & Pumpkins}
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Our placemat looked like this
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Our memory verse was Isaiah 9:3
“They will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest”.
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Our family worship songs were: The Doxology, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
Our morning worship mix can be found here (we listen & sing & have a dance party while we play in the mornings)
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You saw pics of the pumpkin patch here.
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I found the idea & recipe for pumpkin pie play-do here. FYI- I increased the cream of tartar to 1T. per some reviews that I read.
Hud wasn’t the biggest fan of the play-do. The first time we tried it he just poked it a little. Now he’ll play & squish it more.
He is signing “all done” in this pic.
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The recipe for the best apple pie you’ll ever eat can be found here. Just make sure to make the following changes:
Replace 1 T. of the water with vanilla. Add in about 1 t. of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg with the sugar.
As for the crust, I’ve used the frozen kind and homemade kind, both are equally delicious. The first is obviously faster & easier.
Oh, and don’t be afraid to try doing a lattice on the crust. It is so easy, promise! Google “lattice pie crust” if you are nervous, there are a million little “tutorials”. You’ll be so proud of yourself & your pie will look like Grandma Ople actually made it.
Hudson helped make the pie by eating apple slices while we were baking.
🙂
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I made this match game by printing & laminating pictures of different color apples & pumpkins.
(I used the same images for his placemat. Found them all on google)
Hudson had fun carrying the pieces around, I would name the colors or items while he played with them.
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{Apple & Pumpkin Books We Enjoyed}
Apples, Apples by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Cute & simple board book about a family that visits an apple orchard. We both really enjoyed it.
Red Are the Apples by Marc Harshman & Cheryl Ryan
I really enjoyed the cadence of the text which explores & describes different items growing on a farm. Great opportunity to talk about colors & textures. I didn’t love the illustrations though.
How to Make An Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
An apple pie is easy to make! Unless of course the market is closed, in which case you must become a globe-hopping grocery shopper, from finding the finest Seminola wheat in Italy to the freshest apples in Vermont.
The Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo
Peter the Tiger is looking for the perfect pumpkin. Lots of fun rhyming & tongue twisting in this one.
Pick A Pumpkin Mrs. Millie! by Judy Cox
Silly Mrs. Millie takes her class of kindergardeners to pick pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. The wordplay in this book is funny & imaginative and would be great for older kids though it was still fun for us to read & enjoy.
It’s Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall
A brother & sister plant pumpkins for their favorite time of year. The book is simple but does a great job talking about plant life cycles. I loved the illustrations & this will be a great book when Hud is bigger to incorporate science.
Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
A cute simple little book about Biscuit the puppy visiting the pumpkin patch with his friends.
It’s Fall by Jimmy Pickering
I really really liked this book about Sally & Sam two fast friends enjoying fall, from turning leaves to harvest to hayrides. I didn’t love the page where they dressed up for Halloween, so I skipped it.
The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs
I really enjoyed this little allegorical book which tells the story of a loving farmer who turns a simple pumpkin into a simply glorious sight. A fun gospel conversation starter for kiddos who are a little bigger.
{the stone chronicles} 
