Tag Archives: leaves

What to Do With Your Fall Leaves

Oh boy. It must be fall. There are leaves coming down everywhere, and everywhere people are raking them into piles. In our neighborhood, we have folks who come around in a big truck to take the leaves away. What? I want those leaves! What can you do with leaves, you might ask? Turn them into giant pumpkins. This might be a temporary solution, but if you have a lot of leaves they are perfect for slipping into a big orange garbage bag. Put a scary face onto the bag, and you have an instant giant Halloween decoration, no blowing up … Continue reading →

Autumn Crafts for Kids: Fun with Leaves

Fall’s cooler temperatures have been delayed a bit here in the Upper Midwest. I, for one, couldn’t be happier, but I know many people are anxious for crisper days and the sight of trees exploding with vibrant yellows, oranges and reds (that is until they have to carve time out of their busy schedules to rake those gorgeous leaves off their driveway). Regardless of when fall finally rears its head in your neck of the woods there is nothing like soaking up the season with family members and friends. Use the time to go on a nature hike and make … Continue reading →

Discovering Trees

Since we’ve had some nice weather recently in Texas I’ve been taking my son outside for longer periods of time. Nothing too long or too far away from home (really just in our own yard) so that water, diapers, wipes, crackers and other food items are close by (along with Air Conditioning and shade). He’s had quite a lot of fun. We take our time and put on his shoes, put on a pair of shorts, try to keep a hat on his head and then journey outdoors where the world is much taller than the ceilings of our home. … Continue reading →

Last-Minute Homemade Thanksgiving Decorations

You have everything to make your Thanksgiving feast, but you just realized that your dining room table has nothing to complement the holiday spread. Now what? All is not lost. Simply gather a few items from around your home to make these easy last-minute seasonal decorations: LEAVES Fill a galvanized container with oversized leaves (such as magnolia). Make sure the stems aren’t all the same length. The arrangement should mimic the natural, free-flowing form of the leaves themselves. CANDLES Collect several small glass jars or vases and fill them with dried corn. Then, nestle fall-colored candles of differing heights into … Continue reading →

Homemade Thanksgiving Decorations Courtesy of Mother Nature

Don’t break the bank buying a slew of Thanksgiving decorations this year. Rather, take a walk around your yard or stroll through a local park. That’s where you’ll be able to pick up materials needed to make your own festive holiday decor… for free. Take a look: NATURE-MADE THANKSGIVNG WREATH Let your creativity flow when making this wreath. You are only limited by the amount and variety of natural materials that you’re able to gather. In addition to being an extremely affordable craft, this natural wreath is also a breeze to make. If you organize your materials ahead of time … Continue reading →

Turning Fall Leaves into Compost

  Compost really makes sense. If you have some fall leaves just laying around (ha, ha), why not put them to work? Don’t trash or burn those leaves when you can use them to enrich your garden. You may have been following my continued ramblings about the fall leaves. First I talked about my love/hate relationship, and then I went into some of the useful things for which leaves can be used. Now, let us look at one of the most useful things of all for leaves: compost! You can have a natural bit of compost if you have leaves … Continue reading →

More Ways to Have Fun with Fall Leaves

By now you might be cursing the thousands of colorful leaves scattered across your yard, your driveway, your deck, and your garage. But, before you take a match to the season’s most popular symbols consider gathering up a few to create fun art projects that will keep your kids busy for hours. Here are some of my preschooler’s favorite fall leaf projects: Stuffing. Rake up a bunch of leaves and use them to stuff a homemade scarecrow. Masks. Go on a leaf hunt and see who can collect the most colorful bunch. Then, glue the dry leaves to a store-bought … Continue reading →

How to Make a Unique Fall Wreath with Your Kids

If you have ever been on a fall nature hike with young children then you know that deep pockets come in very handy. I swear my preschooler is part squirrel. She collects anything and everything as though she was preparing for hibernation. Last week when her playgroup visited a local arboretum we left with dozens of nuts, leaves, blades of grass, sticks, flowers… you name it, my daughter had it crammed in her jacket pockets. One of the other moms suggested we create a homemade treasure box to bring along on our next hike to store her precious goods, but … Continue reading →

When to Use a Leaf Blower

Wondering if you should purchase and use a leaf blower this year? Leaf blowers can be a great time and labor saver when it comes to cleaning up the leaves around your home. But there are times when using a leaf blower might not be the best decision. Other methods, such as mulching or raking can be better. Here are some tips that will help you maximize the payback from a leaf blower, including guidelines as to when and wear to use it. The past few weeks have been leaf blower mania for me. What might have taken hours for … Continue reading →

Mulching Leaves

I know, there is an old saying, “Don’t try to tidy up nature.” Well, I actually don’t know if it is old or not, but I have been saying it for years. In this neck of the woods, it is definitely time for the Fall leaf clean up. The leaves are everywhere, much to the delight of my three children, who take the opportunity to jump in the piles as soon as they are formed. Of course, all of those colorful leaves have to be picked up eventually or disposed of in some way. Here in the Home Blog, we’ll … Continue reading →