FALL INTO READING!
Hello Everyone,
Fall is a wonderful season! I am so glad it is here. The weather is starting to get cooler. There are many parts of the United States where the leaves are turning colors. You will not see very many trees changing colors in Florida. However, you can still find some colorful leaves. Go for a walk and ask your child to count leaves on the ground. Ask your child to look at the colors of the leaves. What colors did your child see? Probably red, yellow, orange, and brown. Have your child look at the different shapes of the leaves. Name the shapes and sizes of the leaves. Are there big leaves or small leaves? Do you see pointy leaves? Do you see round leaves? Are there smooth leaves? When you are done examining the leaves, you can share some story books. I like to share these books with little ones:Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert, and Mouse First Fall by Lauren Thompson.
There are also some different fruits and vegetables at this time of the year. You will see apples, squash, and pumpkins at the market. Have your child look at the shapes, sizes, and colors of the fruits and vegetables. I will pick apples. They can be red, green, or yellow. You can eat the apples without anything on them, or you can cook with the apples. Some recipes are: apple jam, apple juice, applesauce, apple pie, apple butter, and apple smiles. I hope you will try this recipe for apple smiles. Choose crisp red apples. Leave the peel on. Have a grown up cut the apples in wedges. The red peel becomes the "lips" for the "smiles." Each child can take two wedges. Then a child can spread peanut butter or cream cheese on each wedge. The peanut butter or the cream cheese becomes the "glue" that hold the "smiles" together. Put miniature marshmallows on top of the spread of your choice. Put the other slice on top of the miniature marshmallows. Hurray! Now you can eat your smiles with graham crackers and milk. You can also share these books about apples: Apple Cider Making Days by Ann Purmell, and The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall.
October 31st is Halloween. Many people celebrate this holiday. It can be hard to find non-scary books about Halloween. However, a good place to look is your nearest Lee County Library. Here are two good ones to share with toddlers: Eek-A-Boo! A spooky Lift-the-Flap Book by Joan Holub, and Julius's Candy Corn by Kevin Henks. A preschooler will like Alph Oops! H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis. In this book, the misbehaving alphabet is putting on a performance of tricks and treats. There is no telling what will happen next as this playful alphabet puts on a great show for Halloween!
Happy Reading,
Miss Naomi