Fireflies and Family: children

Since my Brownie troop is working on their sewing try-it and the holidays are approaching, I thought I would have them make something warm and cozy to keep or give as a gift. Fleece scarves! And luckily, many of the local fabric stores have been having sales on fleece...just watch for the ads.

Supplies:

2 colors of fleece, 2 yards each (this was enough to make about 11 scarves)

thread

sharp scissors

sewing machine

Cut the fleece in 6 inch strips, the full width of the fabric. Pair and layer one of each color, and sew a single line down the center of each pair. It's already starting to look cozy!

After reviewing scissor safety with the kids have them make cuts on both sides of the scarf, ALMOST to the center line of stitching. Remind them not to snip THROUGH the stitching. My group cut little strips about the width of one or two of their fingers and they looked great.

It takes just a bit of time (about 30 minutes if you're singing and telling jokes during the process) and patience, but they loved the results (and got very creative with different ways to wear them!).

10 girls + 20 busy hands=10 great scarves and a happy leader!

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A special visitor comes to our home each year on Halloween night: the Halloween Witch! She's the nicest witch you could imagine, and her visits are looked forward to by our daughter.

You must understand that, since most witches are kind of scary, they can't go trick-or-treating like everyone else on All Hallow's Eve. But they definitely like candy as much as the next little goblin.

So each year, our daughter places some of her tick-or-treaing "loot" into a plastic cauldron on the windowsill, to share with the Halloween Witch. She even picks out some of the special candies that she knows will be enjoyed.

Of course, there is always MORE than enough candy to share, and the gifts left in return are FAR more fun than cavities or achy stomachs.

While we are all asleep, the witch visits to collect her sweets. She is always so grateful that she leaves special treats in return. When my daughter was younger, she left puzzles, dollhouse furniture, books or other surprises. We can't wait to see what she leaves this year.

So remember, if your little costumed sweethearts overfill their bags with candy...maybe they would consider sharing with the Halloween Witch. She's full of smile-inducing surprises!

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