This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support! I've mentioned before that I haven't really ever been totally into Halloween in years past, but this year, for some reason, I am getting into it a little more. It is weird, because I don't have any kids home anymore to dress up, but, Maddy and I have been thinking that at our Church's Trunk or Treat party this year, it might be fun to set up a table outside of our car's trunk and have spooky treats to hand out. I think that making the kids happy with something extra is what has me excited. Today we practiced setting up our idea of what we might like to do, along with the labels that I made. These labels would work well for any Halloween event that you might be hosting, so I thought I would share them with you today for Fun Friday! It isn't too early to start planning for the Halloween party you might be hosting. Some people make Halloween night a block party where neighbors get together with fire pits in the front yard and hand out their treats from tables in the front yard. These free printables will work in any situation to add just a little more fun to the event. Here are some of the ways we used the labels:
Printing the labels is easy. Just print it on 8.5 x 11 inch paper or card stock. Do not click fit to page, or unclick it if necessary. Be sure you set the paper to print landscape and then print! If you think of other ideas for treats to fit these labels, please share them and help to get everyone's imaginations flowing! We used containers we had around the house, including mason jars and other candy dishes. The spider bowl and the colored jar came from Dollar Tree, where there are a myriad of choices for inexpensive treat holders! We used jute and burlap, (also from Dollar Tree), to tie everything together and to give an old, conjurers feel to the display. Some black roses and a giant spider help with the nuance. When we set up the real table we will have spooky lights as well, because of course, this won't be on our kitchen table, but out in a dark, spooky parking lot instead! Whelp! Now we have to keep from eating all of this candy until Halloween! Wish us luck!
Have a great weekend!
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With Halloween quickly approaching I am in the mood to be spooked. I’ve never been a fan of gore but thrillers and good old fashioned ghost stories are fun for me! (It’s why I enjoy The X-Files so much).
So today we thought we should share some classics written by the Master of Macabre: Edgar Allan Poe. The Tell Tale Heart
A widely known story, and often parodied, The Tell Tale Heart is a story that of murder and guilt. It’s considered a classic Gothic story.
I love this story because it has you wondering what is real and what isn’t. The narrator (also the murderer) isn’t the most reliable and can’t give us a good reason for the crime he’s committed. The tension built through the story makes it a fun read for a fall night. The Pit and the Pendulum
In high school we had a competition in our English class to write a new ending for this Poe story, and I won. I don’t remember what I wrote at all but I do remember this story and the fear I felt while reading it.
The Pit and the Pendulum is more of a thriller than a horror story to me. It tells of a man Sentenced to death by the Inquisition, Who wakes in a completely dark room. Through his explorations in the dark and good luck he finds a deep pit in the center of his cell. This is just the first of his many encounters with death in his cell. I love this story not only for the suspense that builds or because I won a contest associated with it, but because, despite the scary aspects of it, hope is at the center of the story. It makes it different than other Poe stories. And adds another layer to the story. The Raven
Arguably one of the most famous poems in existence, The Raven tells the story of a man tormented by a talking raven. The raven only repeats “Nevermore” to the man as he laments his lost love Lenore.
The Raven has a lyrical quality that keeps you intrigued by where the story’s headed. It has elements of the supernatural without being an outright ghost story. Like The Tell Tale Heart it leaves you with an uneasy feeling of trying to figure out what was reality and what wasn’t. Poe had a masterful way with words and if you love these three works you’ll probably enjoy more of his stories and poems. So are you going to read Poe this Halloween season? What other scary or suspenseful books do you love? Let us know in the comments below!
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First, a story about me! I used to be a substitute teacher. I have even written a post about what a great job it is for a mother, which you can read here. Quite often I did long term positions, when a teacher had to be away for an extended period. Those times were usually in the primary grades,k-3. While I was teaching these young children, I learned a few tricks and techniques, one of which I am going to share with you today. It has to do with coloring! But before I share my trick, let's find out why kids should color.
I have heard some people wonder why coloring is something that children need to do in school. Can it really be considered educational, or is it just fun? I am here to tell you that coloring for children is a very important step in their education and development and you should start your children coloring as soon as they can hold a crayon. (Just monitor them and keep them away from walls!) Here are some of the reasons why coloring is important:
Color with your children! The Trick I used to Help Kids Focus.
When I was teaching, I used this simple trick that would help children to settle down and color. It also helped me to keep control of a class of many children who may have wanted to play around rather than sit and color their work.
Most of the time, the children would be sitting at tables or in groups of desks together. If they had a coloring project that they were supposed to be working on, I would tell them that I was going to be coloring with them. I was looking for the group that was coloring the most quietly and getting their work done. Then, I chose one group and joined them for a little while. After a couple of minutes, I would move to another group. The children loved to have me sit and color with them. They would all get so quiet. I would go to a group and politely ask if I could borrow a certain color of crayon to color my picture with. Then I would talk to them in whispers about the things we were coloring as we did the work. They would watch me color and compliment my work. I would tell them little tricks for staying in the lines and model how the work was to be done. After a couple of minutes, with the rest of the class anxiously waiting for their turn, I would move on to another group. At times I would go back to a group where I had already been if they were doing particularly well. This technique worked like a charm to get even those who disliked coloring to stay on task. If someone got silly or loud, the rest of their group would remind them that they wanted a turn to color with me. I usually didn't have to say anything except give compliments on how well they were all doing.
This trick can work even if you have only one child. Having a parent, (or grandparent), color with them will encourage children to stay on task longer and this in turn helps them learn to focus on what they are doing. Also, coloring together can be a great way to bond with your child. Find out what their favorite color is! Ask them why they chose that particular picture to color. My 21 month old granddaughter will color with me twice as long than she will on her own. And, she already knows all of her colors! Currently, her favorite color is blue. She likes to reach over and color on my page, too, but I don't mind! Ha ha.
Now a story about my mom!
When I was young, I remember my mom coloring in our coloring books. She used to like to take the pages that had a little scribble on them and "fix" them so that they looked beautiful. She later told me and my siblings that coloring was a way that she relieved stress when she was feeling particularly worried over something.
Well, it turns out that my mother knew a thing or two about relieving stress. Coloring for adults is a therapeutic way to relieve stress and to help them focus on the task at hand rather than worry about things out of their control. Many behavioral health units have coloring pages for their patients to help them relax and de-stress. This is also why adult coloring books have become so popular today. Coloring in a picture may not replace a therapist, but it really can calm some frazzled nerves!
Finally, coloring together gets your faces away from electronic devices and allows everyone to spend some time together creating something beautiful without even being an artist! And, coloring supplies are inexpensive and plentiful! Here are some of the supplies that I found at Dollar Tree today!
I like coloring books because they keep all of the art work contained in a book, rather than having pages scattered everywhere! But, if you would like, you can find coloring pages to print off with your printer and the cost will only be your ink! There are some Nay Sayers out there who don't approve of coloring books, but I have read their arguments. I don't believe that they have addressed all of the reasons given that encourage coloring as educational, beneficial and worth staying within the lines!
The final reason to color together with your kids is that coloring pictures of your favorite characters or beautiful designs can be fun and stress free! So, for Fun Friday, take some time with your kids and do some coloring! It will be rewarding for all!
If you want more than my word for it, here are some other sources that encourage coloring that you may want to check out!
Journal Art Therapy Journal of the American Art Therapy Association The OT Toolbox https://www.theottoolbox.com/benefits-of-coloring-with-crayons-fine-motor-visual-perception/ https://www.childrenscenterforgrowth.com/2014/11/02/the-benefits-of-coloring/ https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/blogs/health-benefits-of-coloring-for-adults If your kids are really young and you worry about your walls, here are some really good alternatives!
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For Handmade Monthly in September I made some bookmarks on Canva. But it's not getting posted until October, because well life! I'm sorry! But I do have it here for you and I think it turned out pretty cute!
The fun thing about this DIY is even if you feel like you are not good at crafting or artsy things, it's actually easy to get a good result. And I think the bookmark would make a great gift for the book lovers in your life. Or a fun thing to give to your book club members. It's an inexpensive gift that can be personalized a million different ways, and surely loved by the voracious readers in your life. Making a Bookmark on Canva
We aren't sponsored or endorsed by Canva in any way but I like to use their site to design little things like this because it's easy and I like the variety of templates, stickers, and fonts. I love how things are customizable without being difficult to use. To help you out I have made this video describing how to make a bookmark on Canva.
I only used pictures and digital stickers on my bookmark, but it would also be cute to have a favorite book quote or reference to a favorite book on the bookmark as well.
Once your bookmark is finished being created you can print it off on cardstock, photo paper, or regular paper, and get it laminated. I actually used regular paper and clear packing tape to laminate mine! I think it turned out pretty cute. I love how Sofía's cute little face is peeking out of the top of the book.
If you're going to print it at home you will want a good printer. I love my Canon because it does wireless printing from the computer and my phone. AND it does automatic double sided printing, so I don't have to go figure out which way to reload the paper in to make sure it prints correctly on both sides. It's my favorite feature.
So hopefully you found this tutorial helpful and a great way to make your book gift giving a little more personal this year!
PS for What to Read Wednesday, consider this your recommendation for A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. It's an amazing book and a classic for a reason, you will not regret this read!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
April 2024
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