Alphabet Adventure: W is for Waterfall

We could not have asked for a better weather day a few weekends ago when we went on this Alphabet Adventure. As we get closer to the end of the alphabet, and are nearing the one year mark since we began, we're getting excited about the idea of wrapping up these adventures. Big Brother was pretty excited to discover we were headed on an adventure; he reminded us it has been a while.

The Adventure

For this adventure we headed to a local recreation area known for its large waterfall. I hadn't been to this site in almost 15 years, and none of the guys had ever been there. The waterfall is at the bottom of a big hill, and was a quick walk down.

At the bottom we walked up as close as we could get to the falls. This meant climbing over the rocks, which we helped the boys to do. At first we stopped at one edge of the waterfall. 

Alphabet Adventure: V is for Vultures at VINS

It's been quite a while since we posted an Alphabet Adventure, and it's actually been quite a while since we went on this adventure.

The Adventure

For our V adventure we headed to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) in Woodstock, VT. VINS is a great place to see rescued raptors of many kinds, in a beautiful location. We knew we could see Turkey Vultures on our visit, which would fit our V theme, but we were also eager to see some of the other birds too.

Alphabet Adventures: U is for Under the Stars and Unusual Animals

Amazingly, this post makes our one hundredth post at Kitchen Floor Crafts, hard to believe we've written that many already. And although it would seem symbolic to say we're finally wrapping up our Alphabet Adventures, we're still not there quite yet. But the good news is we haven't forgotten them and we're still determined to reach Z!

The Adventure

Even as we planned this summer for our adventures, we knew U was going to be a bit of a stumper in terms of an activity. It was actually Big Brother who gave me the idea when telling me one day "U was for under" which lead me to think of a local museum and planetarium we've been wanting to visit. We headed north to the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium.

Alphabet Adventures: S is for Santa and T is for Train

I can't believe it's taken me this long to type up our S & T Alphabet Adventure, but we did have the fun of the holidays to distract us.

This was a very special Alphabet Adventure for several reasons. The first reason being that the tickets were a holiday gift from a dear friend. But it was also special as we had never participated in this event before and it was, of course, all about creating some holiday magic for the whole family.

The event is officially a reenactment of the beloved book, and movie, The Polar Express, organized by a local Lions' Club, but we turned it into our adventure: S is for Santa and T is for Train.

The Adventure

A weekend blizzard turned our area into a winter wonderland which added to our excitement as we headed to the local train station. With the boys dressed in their Christmas pajamas we couldn't wait to see how this adventure would turn out. Once there we picked up our golden tickets and waited to board the train car.

The tickets, the snow, the holiday music playing in the background, and the festive volunteers all added to the magical feeling of taking a ride to the North Pole. 

Once on the train we were served hot chocolate and cookies by waitstaff dressed in white shirts and white hats. The hot chocolate was just the right temperature and the cookies perfectly crisp. 

Progressing through the snowy woods along the frozen river it really did feel as though we were headed to Santa's home.

As we traveled there were several other nice elements the volunteers had created for all the passengers: a reading of the book, a group sing along, music from the movie soundtrack playing, and overall cheer from everyone. 

Soon we arrived at the station currently known as the "North Pole." Elves waved happily from the platform and we were quickly informed that Santa had boarded the train!

Big Brother was the first in our car to receive the "first gift of Christmas," a silver bell with a cheery jingle. He was too excited with his bell to capture a moment of it being held still. 

Although we had read the book before going on the adventure, we reread it when we got home to relive the fun of our own ride on The Polar Express. 

The Projects

In the bustle of the holidays we kept our projects simple. 

S is for Snowflake

We used our snowflake stamp and colorful ink to create a collection of snowflakes on our "S" page. 

T is for Tree

We took a small trimming off our tree and used it as a paint brush on our "T" page. 

Although it's taken a while to post, it was a very memorable Alphabet Adventure. And although we've headed into the New Year, we're still planning on wrapping up our Alphabet Adventure series. 

Other S Adventure ideas: seacoast, sundae shop, shopping, swamp, submarine museum, skiing, swimming, or snowshoeing.

Other T Adventure ideas: tea party, train station, or toy museum. 

This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties. 

Alphabet Adventures: Q is for Quarry and R is for Rocks

So despite the fact it's been a busy fall, we were still able to fit in another Alphabet Adventure almost a month ago. Unfortunately that same evening I forgot the camera at a family members' home, and needed to wait a while to get it, so it's taken a while to post it.

The Adventure

We had originally planned to travel north and group Q and R together with a trip to the Rock of Ages in Barre, VT. Our thinking was we would see a currently operating quarry and explore how they use the rocks pulled from the quarry. But then we were given a great tip to try out a trail along the sides of the old quarry in the Barre Town Forest. The trail can be accessed by stopping at the Millstone Hill Touring and Recreation Center and was free for hikers. The trail allowed us to see the old quarries, the piles of unused rocks, edges of stones which had been cut or blasted, and even some old equipment. There were some historical markers, which provided information about the significance of the trail and the site (this was a little more relevant to the grown-ups than the kids.)

Although a chilly November day, we enjoyed the hike and loved the view at the top. We were even surprised with some more recent carvings along one discarded wall. 

We came back down as the sun started and all of us felt like it had been a successful adventure.  

The Projects: Q is for Quarter and R is for Red

We followed up the adventure a week later with two alphabet projects. For the first project we used real quarters and taped them to cardboard. Big Brother than used crayons to create rubbings of the taped quarters. 

For the second project we created a "red" collage. I set out a collection of different materials which were all red. Big Brother used the materials, scissors, and glue to create a collage. 

So although we continue to take longer than expected, we're still moving onward. Next up, letter S!

Another Q adventure idea could be going to a quilt show.

Other R adventure ideas include a rodeo, a race track, and a rose garden. 

This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties. 

Alphabet Adventures: P is for Pancakes and Pumpkins

We were really excited to involve two of our favorite local places in our Alphabet Adventures: a local café and our favorite farm stand. The two are about a half mile away from one another and made a perfect "P" adventure.

The Adventure

We started our morning at the café, which Big Brother used to call "The Pancake Store" because ever since he was little he has always gotten pancakes there. It's a great local place for breakfast and lunch, and we've been going there for years. I even waited tables there just after college, so it's a comfortable place with people we know.

Our pancakes, as always, were delicious!

After breakfast we headed down the road to our favorite farm stand in order to explore their pumpkin patch. 

Big Brother picked the largest pumpkin he could find, which he promptly turned into a seat. Little Brother had fun exploring the different pumpkins, using them as props for standing up. 

Later in the day we read a great pumpkin book It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall. There are so many great pumpkin books, it was hard to pick. But this one has colorful illustrations which clearly and simply explain the life cycle of a pumpkin. 

The Project: P is for Purple Paint

We decided to keep the project a little simpler again by just sticking to painting. 

As Big Brother painted we talked about some other "p" words. He decided to paint a purple pig with a purple princess looking at it. As we were painting just before bed, I couldn't resist reading one more book: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. We've been enjoying how Harold's imagination takes him such fabulous places, so it was a great reread. 

Our P adventure and project proved to be an easy one to complete with lots of different "P"ossibilities. 

Other P adventure ideas: park, playground, picnic, party, playoff game, or pool. 

Alphabet Adventures: O is for Orchard

Fall has proven to be a great time to continue our adventures by giving us all new options. When we started our adventures I envisioned a summer day trip to the ocean but as the cool temps arrived our ocean trip turned into an orchard trip.

The Adventure

Every fall we enjoy picking apples as a family and a favorite spot is Windy Ridge Orchard. The orchard provides flavorful apples, amazing fall views, and lots of fun extras like farm animals, a playground, and sweet treats. 

Before arriving we talked to Big Brother about what an orchard is, a place with lots of fruit trees. He remembered last year and couldn't wait to get to the apples.

Little Brother and Big Brother both enjoyed the wagon ride. 

Mmm, Big Brother enjoys the first bites and Little Brother enjoyed his first tastes. 

As we were there a little later in the season, a lot of the best apples were up high. 

Of course, we also enjoyed some other elements of the orchard. We loved their fun photo cut outs and feeding the variety of farm animals. We sampled some delicious kettle corn (sadly, the amazing smelling donut line was just too long) and some fresh cider. 

One of the best treats for Big Brother was the "cow" ride which loops through the orchard. 

When we got home we read Picking Apples, Picking Pumpkins by Amy & Richard Hutchings. 

The Project: O is for Octopus

O could have been for orange, either in a color collage or orange prints. But, although sounds haven't been the focus of our adventures, when I mentioned "orange" he told me he couldn't hear an /o/ sound in the word. Since we had also done orchard with the same /or/ sound at the beginning for orchard, I decided to switch it up last minute. 

We have an octopus shaped massage tool which we decided to dip into orange paint. 

Big Brother used it to see what different patterns it could make. First he tried making dot patterns. 

Next he found he could turn it in order to make a large circle, or as he called it, "O."

After painting I couldn't resist playing on the octopus theme a little more. For dinner he had an octopus hot dog in an ocean of peas with apple waves. While we ate we listened to "An Octopus's Garden" by the Beatles. 

It's always fun to make our letter fun go in lots of directions!

This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties. 

Alphabet Adventures: N is for Noodles

I can't believe it's taken me over a week to write up this Alphabet Adventure. But we've been a little excited about the amazing fall weather and getting outside as much as possible. We also celebrated my husband's birthday this past weekend and had several special projects to complete before his big day.

I have to admit this wasn't our best adventure either. Our errands ahead of time ran late, which meant we were all over hungry and ready to be home. Big Brother was also a little under the weather, which meant he really wasn't feeling himself and acting that way. And Little Brother was way over due for a break from all the errands. But in a "Real Family Moment" we gave it a go despite the early warning signs it might not work out and then decided to take our food to go shortly after it arrived. Although not that fun, it was important for us to set some consistency in our expectations and to admit when it was no longer working to stay. To top it off, the camera wasn't set on the right setting so please excuse the blurry photos. 

The Adventure: N is for Noodle

A new "noodle" restaurant opened locally. The restaurant allows you to mix and match from a selection of noodles, sauces, and add-ins to create your own personalized dish. They then cook it to order. We decided to order two of their recommended creations for ourselves and helped Big Brother order his own creation. 

As we waited for our food to arrive, we also tasted one of the restaurant's other specialities: bubble tea. Having never tried it before, it was a huge hit with both Big Brother and myself. 

When our food came we were really impressed with the sizes of the portions and flavors. Unfortunately, Big Brother really started to crash and we decided it was better to pack it all up and took the noodles home and enjoyed them there instead. 

A few days later we read More Spaghetti, I Say! by Rita Golden Gelman about a monkey who loves spaghetti and eats a little too much. We connected the book to the noodles Big Brother had ordered. 

The Project: N is for Night

We did a quick project for N, which is to create a night scene using black paper, silver marker, gel pens, and stickers. 

I'm really enjoying how Big Brother's imagination is taking off with his free art. For this project he decided to draw fireworks with an astronaut floating in space. 

We've been enjoying another "Henry" adventure and reading Henry's Night by D.B. Johnson and read the book another time after finishing the project. 

Although it wasn't our best adventure, we still were really glad to try out a new restaurant and we're looking forward to trying it again. 

This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties. 

Alphabet Adventures: M is for Maze

This past weekend, Labor Day, marked the unofficial end of summer. It also marked our half way point through the alphabet on our Alphabet Adventures. So while we had originally hoped to complete the alphabet over the course of the summer we have decided to continue on the weekends this fall.

With the letter M we had lots of ideas for an adventure, but in the end our late summer timing gave us the opportunity to try a corn maze. None of us had ever done one before. We were able to go through the maze on opening day. For our local readers we went to Riverview Farm. Although known for their tasty pick your own apples, the maze was really fun and creative. Not only was the maze complicated enough to keep us all entertained, but there was a story line written like a fairy tale with large props throughout the maze.

The Adventure: M is for Maze

The three guys are ready to head into the maze. 

The corn was tall and upon entering the maze we quickly felt like we'd stepped into a different place. My husband is pretty tall, a little over 6 feet tall, and in this picture you can see how much taller the corn is than he is. This meant you really couldn't "cheat" and peek your way over to find the way out.

At first Big Brother was kind of just following the paths, not very clear on what a maze was. However, as soon as he hit the first "dead end" he started to get the idea of what we needed to do. 

We had a lot of fun finding our way out. The whole adventure took about a half an hour. The fairy tale story line proved to be over Big Brother's head but as grown ups we found it interesting. Mostly we all enjoyed the feeling of being "lost" in a jungle of corn as a group of four. 

I had thought it would be fun to end with a "m" themed snack like a muffin. But in the end, we couldn't resist the fresh cider and cider doughnuts at the farm stand. 

The Project: M is for Marble

We've done a lot of marble painting before and knew it would be a great project for the letter M. The materials are simple: paint, paper, marbles, and a flat container of some kind. (We used a gift box lid for this round.) I have particularly found that marble painting is great for toddlers and preschoolers with high energy (which I think is all of them) as they get to shake the container to roll the marbles and mix the paint. For this project we chose to use yellow and orange paint on blue paper. I always tape the paper down on two ends so that the marbles don't roll under the painting. 

A special weekend side note: Coincidentally we wound up on several other "M" adventures over the weekend. We went to Massachusetts to visit my alma mater Mount Holyoke College where we visited an art museum. 

Other M adventure ideas: mountain, museum, movies, magic show, and Maine. 

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