OCTOBER 2005

leavesLeaf me alone!
It’s fall-time, a great time to play with leaves! Leaves are great for integrating several of baby’s developing senses: touching, seeing and hearing. Here are a few ideas of how you can play with leaves:

For those lucky enough to live through the changing colors of leaves, collect different colored leaves with your baby. Name each color. A great visual experience for younger babies; older babies can begin to learn the names of each color. Collect different types of leaves. Find various shapes, sizes and textures. Younger babies will enjoy feeling the leaves; older babies will begin to understand bigger leaves versus smaller ones.

Find leaves that are green, and those that are brown. Crunch them together; take them apart. Shake a branch full of leaves. Listen to the sounds they make. Watch them fall!

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Safety notes: Before trying this activity, make sure not to play with sappy or poisonous plants. Make sure to learn which local species are safe for children. Never allow your baby to put plants in their mouths.
Let's face it.
Did you know that babies enjoy seeing faces more than any other pattern?

Here’s a fun game to do this fall that applies this concept. Collect different colored fall vegetables and fruits: a pumpkin, a gourd, yellow and orange squash, an eggplant, and various colored apples. Use a permanent marker to draw “faces” on each one and place in front of baby. Enjoy naming different colors and foods in this way. Their older siblings will like it too!

Safety note: Do not leave baby unattended, or allow baby to put these unprepared foods in their mouths.


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Funnies from moms across the country...
 Last fall, we took our daughter, age 14 months at the time, apple picking, where it is tradition to “eat as you pick.” Boy did she love it! It was the first time she could pick random things off the ground, stick them in her mouth, and find that they tasted terrific. Of course, we spent much of the next few days teaching her not to put food on the floor in order to eat it!


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