Here are some fun activities to do with your children to help
celebrate the fall season! These activities are also great to do to celebrate Samhain!
Recipe: Divination Donuts
Ingredients-
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1 egg, beaten (fertility)
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½ cup brown sugar (love)
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¾ cup molasses (love)
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½ cup sour cream (protection)
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3 cups all purpose flour (fertility & money)
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¾ tsp. Baking soda
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2 tsp. baking powder
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¾ tsp. Salt (protection)
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2 tsp. allspice (protection)
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1 large container of vegetable oil
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1 heavy pot
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1 roll of paper towels
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17 fortunes written on small strips of paper
(keep the fortunes positive and upbeat)
In a large bowl, blend egg, brown sugar, molasses, and sour
cream. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix well. Chill for 2 - 3 hours. Pour oil into the heavy pot. Heat to approx. 365 degrees.
On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough, a small amount at a time, until the dough is ½- in. thick. Cut out the doughnuts
with a 3-in floured doughnut cutter. (You can substitute a clean tin can for a cutter.)
Fry the doughnuts for 2 - 3 minutes or until golden brown,
turning once during the cooking process. Drain the doughnuts on paper towels. Cut a small slit in each doughnut and insert
the fortune. Sprinkle doughnuts with powdered sugar or other topping. Makes approx 18 doughnuts.
Craft: Making a mask
Supplies-
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Newspaper torn into 1’ strips
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3 cups of flour
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1 ½ cups of water
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hole punch
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String
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anything to add dimension (egg egg crate, cardboard)
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Colored
non-toxic glue & paste beads, feathers, decorations, glitter
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1 balloon
blown up and tied off at the avg. size of the child’s face
Slowly mix water and flour together until you have a thick
pasty mixture. Lightly coat each strip of paper with the paste and then apply to the balloon. Make sure to leave holes for
the eyes and mouth while covering the balloon. You can use any light object to add dimension such as toilet paper rolls, egg
crates, plastic lids, etc… just by using the paste as a glue and then covering the item with more strips of pasty paper
(used like tape). When you are finished set the balloon to dry onto the lid of an egg carton or a coffee can. Be careful not
to apply the paper-mâché too thick or it will take too long to dry. Once dry use a pair of scissors to pop the balloon and
cut the back out for a place to put the child’s face. Let the child color the mask with paint and decorate it with any
other medium like feathers, glitter or leaves. When the paint and glue is dry, use the hold punch to make a hole on either
side of the mask for the string to tie on the mask. Inspire your child to make a mask of their favorite Deity, animal, or
their imagery of the elements.
Book Review: The Turning of the Year
This book is one of the most beautifully illustrated books
I have had the pleasure of reading to my son in a long time. The soft paintings truly capture the energy and essence of the
changing seasons as we travel through the turning wheel or the year. The poetic verse on each page lassoes those brief moments
of each season that makes life truly memorable for a child. Basically, this story weaves it’s way through every season
showing snippets of feelings and activities a child engages in during the changing months of the year. This book is perfect
for those who are trying to encourage young readers since each page of text only averages 10 - 15 words in medium text and
every other page is a beautiful illustration. You can purchase a paperback version of this book through Scholastic for a very
reasonable price or you can pick up the hardcover version for $15 at any major book store.
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