Falling in love with Fall :)

Summer days may be well behind us but that does not mean it's time to pack in the outdoor activities just yet. Crisp fall days are here and they are perfect to throw in a hoodie or a sweater and embark on some family fun. During fall the world becomes a natural playground. There are leaves for jumping in, apples & pumpkins for picking and hay bales for climbing. All the leaves are changing colors from green to yellow, orange, red and brown. Trees that were wrapped in a green blanket of leaves are slowly shedding all their leaves. The streets are full of yellow and red leaves and we wake up everyday to a foggy fall morning.

                                                                       

                         

We enjoy fall as much as we enjoyed summers. Last week we even planted bulbs for spring. We cuddle up under a big cozy blanket to read books :) We go on a nature walk to get to know the fall foliage a little better. Anvesha enjoys leaf jumping, where she jumps into a huge pile of freshly raked leaves. She picks a handful of leaves and throws them in the air.  Rainy days are back again, but this does not stop us from going out. As kids we never bypassed those rainy day puddles without jumping on them and Anvesha does the same thing !!! Kids can derive so much pleasure in these little things. Simple pleasures of life that come for free :) I am just fortunate to be with Anvesha in these growing years of her life and witness her smiles first hand.

         

Anvesha has been doing a lot of fall craft activities like learning about the anatomy of a pumpkin, doing painting with a pumpkin and lerning about the life cycle of a pumpkin. I guess the month of October is dedicated to pumpkins !!!!! Wow.... pumpkins must be feeling on top of the world these days ;)

Fall also means Halloween !!! We are looking forward to it as we will be going out to say "Hi" to our neighbors for the " trick or treat" and there will be a post from my side dedicated especially for Halloween.

Till then wishing everyone a very Happy Fall !!!!!

Pumpkin Fun !!!!

Its pumpkin time...... all the grocery stores are loaded with pumpkins in every shape and size and innumerable varieties. Its something about these orange fruits ( yes.... pumpkin is a fruit !!!! ) that is so attractive to kids as well as adults. Pumpkin picking has been a cherry autumn tradition in US for years and we've become quite taken with this idea too :) Last year we went to Remlinger farm for pumpkin patch and this year it was Serres Farm which is very close to our place. We wanted to keep the tradition of pumpkin patch going especially since Anvesha loved it so much. This year went there twice !!! It was so much fun not just for the kids, but also for us. Many families flock to the pumpkin fields strewn with these orange beauties in order to pick up their prized Halloween decoration.

 

Pumpkin picking is especially popular among children..... and a great way of getting them outdoors in October. Anvesha and her friends were running around the fields inhaling the fresh air and examining each pumpkin closely.






And then there were other activities such as duck race using an old fashioned water pump. Everyone got to keep their ducks at the end of the race.

Corn maze was the crowd's favorite and we had so much fun finding our way out from the maze. There were skeletons put to guide us through.

Another major hit was the animal train. We loved it too :) I sat with Anvesha on the train... lol and we loved it !!!!

It was a fun filled Sunday afternoon. The kids were tired at the end of  it and Anvesha crashed to bed on getting home. Now isn't that a big indication on how much she enjoyed her day with her friends ??? After all the fun we had, now comes the exasperating task of carving out the pumpkins for trick or treaters.... but thats all in the spirit of Halloween and the end results are worth it !!!!

Pretend Play

Where can you find a doctor, a chef, a princess, a superman happily working side by side? In a dramatic play area of some school..... and at our home :) Anvesha loves to pretend play, she is a doctor one day, a chef another day, a superman at night and a Mommy to her toys as well :) In the midst of creating a tea party, clomping around in grown up shoes or twirling around with friends in a fairy tale land, she is learning to imagine, coordinate and think flexibly. Experts also say that pretend play is very important in a child's development and it provides so much more than just humor for grown ups. She usually mimics what she hears at home or day care... the other day she took her shopping cart, wore my purse and waved bye bye to me saying... "Bye bye Mamma.... I am going shopping!!!!" I was stunned by her words and gave laugh in my hearts of hearts.

Whether playing with a real friend or a made up friend.... which in Anvesha's case is "Babloo".... yeah !!!! thats what she has named her teddy, kids learn social skills as well. She loves to cook meals for Babloo and makes a mess in my kitchen taking out all the utensils. She loves to put clips on her doll's hair, cook daal rice, oats, potato for Babloo and also comb the hair of her bath toys !!!!.This is the time she is in total control over this pretend play game :) Here's a pic of Anvesha with her best friend, Babloo

There are innumerable pretend play toys and games in the market and obscure house hold items can also be converted into pretend play games. Toys come into life through pretend play. There are doll houses, kitchens, playhouses, dump trucks, puppets, railroads, shopping carts, doctor sets... you name it and the market is full of toys for kids every age and also ones that are gender specific :)

We got Anvesha a kitchen set and she absolutely lovvvveeees it !!!!






She spends hours playing with it and makes meals for me. This morning she got muffins for me fresh from her oven :) Who wold want to count the calories when your daughter so lovingly gets muffins for you in the plate!!!!

I love the way Anvesha is growing up to be... she is a girly girl and I absolutely love that in her. Stay the same Aanu.... I would love to be a part of your pretend play games :) Love you heaps !!!!!