Friday Fruit Explorations: Pumpkins

Today we are sharing our pumpkin exploration! Now Hazel loves pumpkins. She loves pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, and so much more! She insisted on growing pumpkins in our garden. We planted sugar pumpkins only this year. Last year the white pumpkins took over the garden and since we had used seeds from a white pumpkin the previous year they were orange on our vines. (Many of the new fruits and vegetables only grow that way for the first year.) We picked our first pumpkin and wanted to make pumpkin bread with it.

Autumn Lights for Darker Days

Autumn has definitely begun even if the temperatures in New England have been in the 70s this week. How do I know autumn is here even with unusually warm weather--the shorter number of daylight hours. It is getting dark much earlier. This time of year always makes me think winter is coming too fast. It is also reminds me of our days at the Waldorf school and the holiday Martinmas. Martinmas is not until November, but I feel like I could use it now. In past years we were part of the lantern march at the Waldorf school. It is where the children carry lanterns they make at school with a lite candle and march around together singing.

Back To School DVD Pack Review and Giveaway

Disclosure: NCircle Entertainment gave me a copy of the DVDs free of charge and is supplying the ones for the giveaway free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the DVD on NCircle Entertainment's site for your convenience. You can also find their DVDs at local retailers!

 With all my giveaways ending tomorrow, it is time to kick off another one! This month NCircle Entertainment has changed the monthly review and giveaway of one DVD to a prize pack of five DVDs which will not be monthly. Since we have recently started school in the United States, they put together a Back-to-School Package. It includes the newest Octonauts: Deep Sea Mission, and The Wiggles: Apples & Bananas as well as The Cat in the Hat: Show & Tell Sure Is Swell!, Sid the Science Kid: The Ruler of Thumb and Animals Atlas: Animals ABC. So today I will review these five DVDs and then at the end you can enter to win all five of them!!

Multicultural Monday: The Last Kappa of Old Japan By Sunny Seki Book Review and Craft

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of these products free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Last week I reviewed a wonderful Japanese book, Yuko-Chan and the Daruma Doll for World Sight Day.  Tuttle Publishing sent me two copies of the book so I could offer one to giveaway and they included another book by the same author, Sunny Seki, called The Last Kappa of Old Japan for me to review. This is a wonderful book that introduces the popular Japanese legend of kappas. It is also a book I will pull out again for Earth Day. I actually enjoyed this one more than Yuko-Chan and the Daruma Doll and that is high praise since I really liked Yuko-Chan as well.

Disney's Frozen -- Marshmallow Olaf and Party Activity Ideas

With Halloween fast approaching, I know the holiday season is not far behind and then it will be time for Hazel's birthday party. Her theme this year is Disney's Frozen, so we are going to do it for her real birthday (well a couple of weeks after so it is not during the holidays). I have seen all over the web the bags with the tag "Do you wanna build a snowman?" and the supplies for a marshmallow snowman. I decided to see how they would come out. I have to say our tries did not turn out well. So this is something we will not be doing for the party. Now for full disclosure, our large marshmallows were stale, but I do not think this is what caused the issues.