Now that Halloween is over, mid November is that interesting slot of time where the Christmas spirit hasn’t yet peaked but fall is absolutely in full swing. Before the holiday madness that December brings, spend some time with your kids appreciating all the beauty that fall has to offer — most notably, the beautiful leaves! We’ve compiled a whole bunch of fun stuff to do, including our DIY Fall Garland that is perfect to put out for Thanksgiving!
Cotton Canvas Painting Teepee with Paint Set
What’s more unique than having your child design their very own teepee? With a blank canvas and the included paint set and brush, let your little artist’s imagination run wild and dream up a teepee that suits their unique personality, as well as get cracking on some awesome fall DIYs! As a bonus, use our printable her to make some fun fall themed stencils to go along with your teepee!
Standing at 64” tall, and four sides measuring 45” each, this enormous teepee is large enough for the whole family to craft and paint both inside and out.
It is constructed to be super sturdy with four wooden poles for extra stability and a resilient canvas material that can survive most rough play. It is the perfect way to add a touch of your child’s style to any room in the house!
DIY Fall Garland
Have your children create a beautiful piece of art that can be put out every autumn! This DIY Fall Garland is easy to make and perfect for the mantle at Thanksgiving dinner. Twirl it in a circle for a centerpiece, hang it over a doorway or string it on the outside of your child’s Cotton Canvas Painting Teepee!
What You Need
- Pinecone
- Brown Twine
- Fake Leaves
- Scissors
- Glue Gun
How You Make It
- Gather all your pinecones and leaves, and decorate those if desired. Suggestions are to put some gold glitter on the pinecones, use paint to put a handprint on the leaves or put the letters for FALL or AUTUMN on each leaf to spell it out when hung up
- Grab one of the ends of the twine and measure out the amount of twine you want to use for the decor, then add a little extra for wrapping the items
- Measure 10 inches in and tie a pinecone or leaf with the twine
- TIP: For the pinecones, wrap the twine around the widest part of the pinecone and secure it using the glue gun, especially if your pinecones are on the larger side
- TIP: For the leaves, paired them two-by-two and wrap the twine around the stems, then use the glue gun to secure the twine. We wrapped it about 4 to 5 times, depending on the length of the stem
- Continue step 2 with a 10-inch gap between each item
- Cut the end of the twine and begin decorating!
More Fall Fun!
There is a lot to celebrate with fall and many traditions that you can start with your kids before Thanksgiving rolls around. Getting your kids involved with creating fall decorations or Thanksgiving prep will give them an added excitement and pride in the holidays than just watching his or her parents get everything done. For more ways to involve your kids in fall and Thanksgiving fun, keep reading!
Make Apple Cider
A really fun way to get kids excited for fall is to make some apple cider! Whether it’s served on turkey day or just enjoyed after school, it is a cozy and delicious autumn treat to be enjoyed. Check out this recipe from Kidstir!
You need:
- 6 apples
- 8 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sugar
How you make it:
- A grown-up should help peel, core, and cut the apples into eighths. Add the apples to a large pot with the water, cinnamon stick, vanilla, and sugar.
- Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Boil for about 30 minutes, uncovered. Then, cover and simmer on low heat for about 2 more hours. Stir the mixture every so often to break up the apples.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Stir well to break up the apples (it should now look like thin applesauce). Set the strainer on a bowl in the sink. Press the sauce through the strainer with a spoon. (You can save the remaining applesauce for snack time.)
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Prep for Thanksgiving
If your kids love to be involved with the holidays, there are some great things they can do to be involved in your Thanksgiving prep, including:
- Going shopping together. Take your kids with you to the store when you’re stocking up on all your Thanksgiving essentials.
- Kid-friendly food prep. Whether it is cutting up the bread for stuffing, cleaning the potatoes, snapping off the ends of green beans or whisking together ingredients, your kids will love helping you get ready for dinner.
- Create table decor. Whether it is the DIY Fall Garland or putting out something they made at school, get your children involved with the table decor to show off to all your family.
Leaf Printable Wreath
Since it is too late to have your Halloween decorations out and still slightly too early for Christmas decor, have your kids create a super easy fall wreath to put out for Thanksgiving! All you need is the leaf printable, a paper plate and some glue. Cut out the center circle of the paper plate, decorate the leaves to your heart’s desire, cut them out and glue them to the paper plate ring. Viola!
Let Us Know!
Did you make our garland or use our stencils to paint your teepee? What are some ways you get your kids involved with fall and Thanksgiving? Tell us in the comments, or reach out to us on social media.