Fall Activity #12: Popcorn Cake

Before I post the activity for the day, I have so say that today is Sadie's birthday. #2 is two today. Sadie is a such a sweet little girl. No one enjoys life as much as she does. She warms my heart with her beautiful smile, great sense of humor, and independent spirit. Every day is a joy! I'll post more about her birthday party later, when I don't have "fall activities" to post about!

My mom used to make popcorn cake in the fall when I was growing up. I had kind of forgotten about it until I had a craving for popcorn balls which is basically made out of the same ingredients only is much more time consuming because you actually have to make balls instead of just dumping the ingredients into a bundt cake pan. This recipe is very satisfying. It's sweet and salty and gooey. The perfect treat.

Popcorn Cake

1/4 cup vegetable oil 12 cups popped popcorn (plain, unsalted and unbuttered), about 1 cup unpopped kernels
2 cups M & M candies
1 cup lightly salted peanuts
1 stick unsalted butter
1 pound marshmallows

Directions
1. Grease a large tube or bundt cake pan with butter and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix the popped corn with the M & M candies and the peanuts.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, 1/4 cup of oil, and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally or just put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. When melted, pour over the popcorn mixture, and stir to combine.

4. Pour into the prepared cake pan, pressing down to fit. Cover with aluminum foil to keep moist and let rest until firm, at least one hour.

5. To serve, invert the cake pan onto a large cake plate or platter. Shake gently to release. Serve at room temperature.

Fall Activity #11: Paper Bag Monsters

Do you want to know how to scare your dad when he gets home from work? Put on one of these scary paper bag monster masks that you made and jump out from behind the door and yell "BOO!" really really loud. I promise it will work. Honest. Your dad will be really really scared.

Fall Activity #10: Rattlin' Bones

We've been reading a Halloween book called Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa. My children love this rhythmic book especially because they get to hear their mom turn on her white-girl Eminem rappin' skills. I'm that good. Word. What would my rapping name be? Eminemma? Ha ha ha...
Anyways, we made these bone shakers to shake along with the book. I drew a bone shape on a piece of cardstock and cut out two of the same shape. I stapled around the bone leaving some space so we could fill them, the kids helped me fill them with rice (Yes. I'm a hypocrite.), and I stapled them closed.
Even if you don't have the book, you could sing some "piggyback" Halloween songs (that's fancy teacher talk, for a made-up song that's sung to a familiar tune.) found here or here and shake dem bones along with the rhythm. "I'm gonna shake, shake, shake dem bones now. Shake, shake, shake dem bones now. Shake shake dem bones now. Shake dem Halloween bones." Shooby-dooby-do-wah. Yeah!

Fall Activity #9: Ghost Cookies

My kids dig cookies like every American kid should. And these cookies are pretty darn good. While the kids did help make these cookies, I must admit that it drives me crazy and my patience is normally gone about 10 minutes into the process. If I was smart, I would do most of the work myself and have them do the decorating. Instead, I let them help me: make the dough, roll out the dough, press the cookies and decorate them. This usually means that flour gets all over the floor, something gets spilled, egg shells fall into the batter, they fight over the cookie cutters, and I end up thinking that I will never ever make cookies with my children again. **sigh** Then they end up loving it so much that they run to their dad the moment he gets home from work and say, "We made cookies shaped liked ghosts. Do you want one?" Well, how could I not make cookies with them again? Next time, they can just decorate them.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies from Allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Fall Activity #8: Lantern Ghosts

I know we just made ghosts yesterday, but I'm going with the theme here. This is an activity for the older kids as there is a lot of straight line cutting. You will need: 1 piece of white construction paper/cardstock, white streamers, 1 white pipe cleaner, scissors, glue, and googly eyes (optional), ruler and a pencil.
1.Fold your paper in half so it is now roughly 4 1/4 x 11. Using a ruler, from the fold in, draw lines about a ruler's width apart stopping about 1/2 inch from the other side.

2. Cut on the lines you just made, making sure you do not cut all the way across.

3. Unfold the paper and connect the long sides of the paper forming a cylinder. Either glue or staple the sides together.

4. Add eyes by drawing them on or you can glue on googly eyes.

5. Glue about 5 streamers along the bottom of the cylinder.

6. Attach the pipe cleaner at the top to make a handle.

You can also use the same lantern shape to make a skull or a pumpkin as seen here.

Fall Activity #7: Paper Plate Ghosts

I admit these ghosts look a little like an octopus, but they really are ghosts. This project is easy enough for a not even two year old to do. All you need is a white paper plate, white streamers, googly eyes and a glue stick. Quick and easy, what more could a mom ask for?

Fall Activity #6: Apple (and other fruit and vegetable) Prints

Did you know that if you cut an apple through the middle (versus through the stem and bottom part) that there is a little star hidden inside? Somewhere there is a story about that... Let me find it... Here it is. Using the apples we picked, I showed the kids the star inside the apple without telling them the story, because I just remembered that now (obviously)! We used the apples as stamps: dunked them into paint and printed them on big sheets of paper (that my husband very wisely pulled from the trash). Because I was making fajitas for supper, they also used pepper tops, lime and onion and some Indian corn (not that I put that into the fajitas) to make prints. My kids love this kind of activity most of all. They don't have to think too creatively, yet it looks kind of cool and they can make a huge mess.I just have to mention something that bothers me with projects like this and others that involve food (sorting beans, stringing Cheerios, etc.). I feel so guilty using food as a manipulative, art supply or toy. While I use food because it is inexpensive and readily available I also know that somewhere in the world (maybe even in my neighborhood) someone would love to be eating what I let my child play with. I wonder what the hidden message is that I'm sending my children? That it's ok to waste food? That food is to be played with? I guess I don't have any answers. It's just something I think about. Sorry to be such a downer. Just makes you want to do apple prints doesn't it!?!