All join hands and circle round
While we watch the leaves fall down
See them twirling to the ground,
See them dancing all around.
See them skipping here and there,
See them flipping in the air.
Autumn leaves so peacefully
Falling, falling from the tree.

Pumpkins

One day I found two pumpkin seeds.
I planted one and pulled the weeds.
It sprouted roots and a big, long vine.
A pumpkin grew; I called it mine.
The pumpkin was quite round and fat.
(I really am quite proud of that.)
But there is something I’ll admit
That has me worried just a bit.
I ate the other seed, you see.
Now will it grow inside of me?
(I’m so relieved since I have found
That pumpkins only grow in the ground!)

‘This set of four picture books are a lovely way to inspire creativity and imagination in your little one. Each book contains its own season packed full of detailed drawings … The most wonderful thing about these books is that the story is always different, there are always new things to discover and new stories to tell. If you are looking for some creative ways to introduce the Seasons to your kids or even just hoping to get some picture books, this set is a definite must. (more…)

Autumn is here! Let’s take a walk. Where will we go and what will we find? Frolic with the puppy in a red, gold, and crunchy autumn world!

About the Author Ann Burg is a new author and we are pleased to be publishing her first books. After many years as a English teacher, Ann knows how to get children interested and excited in the written word. Her crisp prose and lively meter makes her a welcome edition to Harper Collins. (more…)

Halloween Brain Surgery Salad

2 small or 1 large package of lime gelatin
1 16-oz. can fruit cocktail
2 surgical or rubber gloves

Prepare the gelatin according to the package instructions. Transfer to a dome-shaped mold. (A mixing bowl will do.) Drain the fruit cocktail and add it to the gelatin when it’s half set. When the salad mold is ready, unmold it onto a platter and drape the surgical gloves on each side. Makes 10 servings.

Edible Eyeball Treats

3.4-ounce box vanilla pudding mix
Jelly beans LifeSavers Gummies
Plastic eggs
2 empty egg cartons

Prepare the pudding according to the package directions. For each eye, fit a jelly bean into the center of a LifeSavers Gummies candy and place it in a plastic egg half. Fill the egg cup with the pudding, then place the egg halves in an egg carton in the freezer until they’re firm (about 3 hours). Remove the egg halves from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for about 3 to 5 minutes. With the back of a fork, gently press down on the edge of the pudding, rolling the frozen ball out of the egg cup. If you’re not serving them right away, place the eyes in a freezer-safe dish in the freezer until you’re ready.

Green Ghoul Punch

½ gallon limeade
1 liter ginger ale
½ gallon lime sherbert

Mix together juice and ginger ale. Scoop sherbert and add to punch. Add marshmallows and maraschino cherries to float in punch.

Blood and Guts with Eyeballs

1 package green spinach pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Stuffed Spanish olives

Boil pasta according to package instructions. Heat spaghetti spaghetti sauce. Cut olives in half to make “eyeballs” and place on top of the “blood and guts.”

Kitty Litter Cake

1 spice or chocolate cake mix
1 white cake mix
2 large pkg vanilla instant pudding mix, prepared
1 large pkg vanilla sandwich cookies
green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Rolls
1 new kitty litter pan
1 new plastic kitty litter pan liner
1 new pooper scooper

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans).
Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix until completely colored.

When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Important: mix in just enough of the pudding to moisten it. You don’t want it too soggy. Combine gently.

Line a new, clean kitty litter box. Put the cake/pudding/cookie mixture into the litter box. Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls bury them in the mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly on top of everything (this is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.)

Heat 3 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake; sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Spread remaining Tootsie Rolls over the top; take one and heat until pliable, hang it over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs. Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around.

Autumn Leaf Printable

Enjoy!

This Back to School Kit for College students brings together a variety of essential supplies from top brands in one convenient package. Get supplies from Sanford, Papermate, and 3M without having to shop all over town. This kit is includes everything you need to get your collegiate year started, including a package of CD-R disks and an Innovera Flash Drive for moving files between home and school. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size (more…)

You may have noticed that leaf color varies every year. Leaf color is most spectacular when the right combination of factors are present. Scientists don’t fully understand all of the complicated interactions that cause the best display of leaf color, but they do know that leaf pigments, length of night, the type of tree, genetic variation, and the weather all play a role.

Where Do Leaves Get Their Autumn Colors?
Tree and plant leaves contain pigments that give them their color. Three pigments are involved in fall color:
Chlorophyll — gives leaves their green color.
Carotenoids — provide the yellow, orange, and brown colors
Anthocyanins — give the red and purple colors. In contrast to the other two pigments, · anthocyanins are produced in the autumn, in response to bright light and excess plant sugars in the leaf cells.

During the growing season, most tree leaves are green because they are full of chlorophyll. Plants use chlorophyll to capture sunlight for photosynthesis, the process that enables them to manufacture their own food. The amount of chlorophyll is so high during the summer that the green color masks all other pigments present in the leaf. As the days grow shorter in the fall, chlorophyll production slows down and eventually stops. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that are present in the leaf then become visible.

Do Different Kinds of Trees Turn Different Colors?
Certain colors of leaves are characteristic of particular species of trees.
Oaks turn red, brown, or russet;
Hickories turn golden bronze;
Dogwood turns purplish red;
Beech turns light tan;
Red maple turns brilliant scarlet;
Sugar maple turns orange-red;
Black maple turns glowing yellow;
Sourwood and black tupelo turn crimson;
Aspen, birch, and yellow-poplar turn golden yellow.

Leaves of some species such as the elms simply shrivel up and fall off, exhibiting little color other than brown. The timing of the color change also varies by species. Sourwood in southern forests can become vividly colorful in late summer while all other species are still green. Oaks put on their colors long after other species have already shed their leaves. These differences in timing among species seem to be genetically inherited. The timing of color change for certain species appears to be consistent regardless of local weather patterns or changes in latitude.

Why Are Some Autumns More Colorful?
Temperature and moisture greatly influence autumn color. Since each of these vary greatly, no two autumns are ever alike. A succession of warm, sunny days and cool, but not freezing nights seems to bring about the most spectacular color displays. Since carotenoids are always present in leaves, yellow and gold colors are fairly constant from year to year. In order for the brilliant scarlet, purple and crimson colors to develop, bright sunlight in the early fall is needed. Bright sunny days increases food production in trees and plants. These sugars are trapped in the leaves spurring the production of anthocyanin pigments, providing the red tints to fall foliage.

The amount of moisture in the soil also affects autumn color. A late spring, or a severe summer drought, can delay the onset of fall color by a few weeks. A warm period during fall lowers the intensity of autumn color. Trees defoliated by insects during the growing season may also show less fall color.

Why Do Leaves Fall?
Deciduous trees drop their leaves in order to survive the harsh conditions of winter. Stems, twigs, and buds are equipped to survive extreme cold. Tender leaf tissues however, would freeze in winter, so plants must either protect their leaves or shed them.
The evergreens — pines, spruces, and hemlocks – are able to survive winter because they have developed a way to protect their foliage. Their needle-like or scale-like foliage is covered with a heavy wax coating and the fluid inside their cells contains substances that resist freezing.

Fallen leaves are not wasted, they decompose and restock the soil with nutrients. The rich layer of decomposing leaves protects the roots of other plants on the forest floor and absorbs and holds rainfall. Imitating nature by mulching with shredded leaves provides similar benefits for trees and shrubs in the home landscape.

Where and When is the Best Time to See Fall Color?
Generally, peak colors develop in late September for the Northern States and can extend from October through early November in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern Midwestern states. The National Forest System lands, State Forest and county lands provide ample opportunities for driving, hiking, and recreating in areas surrounded by fall color.

Susan Branch, brings her enthusiasm for cooking, entertaining and decorating to the fall months. Her whimsical watercolors, hand-written recipes and reminiscences, and sentimental quotations decorate each page. The recipes, such as Orange Spiced Harvest Stew (with beef, red wine and vegetables, served in a pumpkin), Roasted Beet Salad with Creamy & Mild Blue Cheese Dressing, and Cranberry Apple Crisp, take advantage of the best nature has to offer. Although Branch includes chapters on Halloween and Thanksgiving, most of her 100 recipes allow readers to make everyday meals special.(more…)

Clifford the Small Red Puppy leaps into autumn when he experiences the changing of the seasons for the first time, and he joyfully sniffs the falling leaves and enjoys the wonderful colors.

About the Author:
There’s no denying that kids love Clifford®. The Big Red Dog® has been a favorite since Norman Bridwell created him over 40 years ago. “I was working as a commercial artist in New York City. There wasn’t much work, so I made some sample pictures (more…)

High school games are always lively as it’s a chance to catch up with neighbors, socialize with other students and parents you might not see otherwise, and if one or more children are actually playing in the game, then there’s the cheering and encouragement of seeing them do well. If you gather with other families at a local establishment after the game for dinner, then the fun and time to get to know others carries on for at least another hour or two.

Likewise, college football games are a chance to combine even more entertainment into a single day. College games usually come with tailgating. Teaching kids to help plan the menu and setting up for tailgating a few hours before the game lets everyone get involved. Cooking, decorating, preparing for the game…it’s an exciting time to build team spirit. With the team’s fight song playing in the background, and a grill sizzling with hamburgers or bratwurst, it’s a good time to get some fresh air outside, instead of sitting at home on the couch. Bringing along games like corn hole or hacky sack also provide for some friendly competition. Once the game begins, being in the stands and seeing the bands, the teams, and maybe even special recognition ceremonies for alumni, seniors, or record setters further builds interest in what’s going on besides the game itself, although that’s usually enough excitement in itself.

Professional football games are also exciting, although usually a bit more expensive than high school or college, sometimes making them cost-prohibitive for large families.

However, no matter which football game you decide to attend this autumn, there’s no avoiding the energy of the game, the chance to root for your favorite team, a chance to grill out a meal or go out for dinner, and most importantly, the opportunity to get outside and spend some time together as a family.