---J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

 

  

You can use this method of preservation and display for wildflowers and grasses as well to create nature collages from different seasons.  If you do try this activity, take a picture of your collage and share it on our Facebook page- we'd love to see your creativity in action!

Leaves aren't the only things the trees are dropping this time of year!  Fruit crops are ripening on the trees and orchards are gathering the fruit to sell to their customers.  If there is one in your area, find an apple orchard to visit.  Some of the larger orchards feature hayrides, corn mazes, and other large attractions, but the smaller orchards can be fun, too.  Some will let visitors wander the orchard and many have cider and doughnuts for sale in their shops.  A great way to end a fall day is with fresh doughnuts and cider!  Pick up some apples to bring home so you can make baked apples over a campfire like some of our readers did at 4-H Mentoring Weekend 3!

If you want to take an outdoor walk, but would like something a little more challenging, this is the perfect time of year to find a corn maze.  The cornstalks are beginning to dry out and many farmers will cut shapes or mazes into their fields for the entertainment of visitors.  These mazes sometimes are at farms that also have orchards or pumpkin patches (another great place to visit just before Halloween!).  Prices for admittance to corn mazes vary, so check your local newspapers to see if your local corn maze has a phone number you can contact for more information. 

Do you have a favorite fall activity?  Is there something you're just itching to share with other matches?  Visit our Facebook page and share it!  We'd love to hear from you!

Match Highlight:

Meet Jamele Thomas and Sherron

Thank you Jamele and Sherron for being there for one another as well as for us all.

You don't have to spend a fortune on a costume to have fun this Halloween.  Chances are, you've got what you need to create a costume in your own closet or, if you must purchase something, that it can be found at your local second hand store for a LOT cheaper than going to a Halloween costume store.  Consider working with your mentee to make your own costumes this year. Just be sure to make sure you check in with your mentee's parent(s) to make sure they do not have other plans and to talk about ideas to ensure that you pick something that is acceptable. 

The first step is to decide what you want to be.  Old standards, like zombies and pirates, are fairly simple to throw together with things from closets and second hand shops.  Altering existing clothing doesn't take too much time.  If you are handy with a sewing machine, the process is that much easier, but tucks and tweaks can be secured with safety pins as well.

Zombie and pirate costumes start out with the same general idea- clothes should be ratty and tattered.  Because zombies are just undead humans, it's fairly simple to take everyday clothes and tear them at places where clothes wear out (knees, elbows, shoulder seams) or at places where the zombie "caught" the clothes on something.  Undead makeup can be as simple as dark circles under the eyes and under the cheekbones. 

Pirates also start with ratty clothes- a t-shirt under a long vest (find a light coat at a second hand store and cut the sleeves off- denim works well, so do light sport coats), a pair of pants with ratty cuffs, and a long scarf or strip of fabric around the waist will give you that high-seas look.  Throw on a bandana and you're ready to sail away!

If you have a specific character you want to portray, find a picture of that character online.  Look at what they wear- what everyday clothes could be altered to look like that?  Does the character wear a coat that could be made out of a suit jacket from Goodwill?  Is there a way to hot glue or sew decorations onto clothing that will make them look like your character's costume?  Think outside the box.  Take your picture with you when you are either digging through your closet or going to a second hand store.  No matter how well you know your character, the picture can always be helpful.  Sometimes holding a garment up to the image can spark that "ah ha!" moment where you know exactly what you need to do to make your costume. 

The key to costuming this way is to think about what clothing could be, not what it is.  That weird 80s dress with the poofy sleeves isn't just a terrible looking dress.  Imagine it without the sleeves.  Imagine it with different trim.  Can you find a lacy curtain to shape into a cloak (hint: thread a ribbon through the channel the curtain rod goes in)?  Talk through your ideas while the garment is hanging in front of you.  Think about what you already have or what you know you can find easily.  Don't restrict yourself to only things found in the clothing department.  That thin wreath in housewares would make a great fairy crown.  The string of snowflake garland in the Christmas section can become a belt or trim.

Think outside the box!