Viva Vitality: Fall fun with children can include cleaning, baking
By Medicine Hat News on October 13, 2017.
Fall is upon us, giving us new opportunities to have fun and get active indoors and outdoors with our children without the hot temperatures of summer. October is a month when the leaves on the trees are changing colours and little by little start falling off. This makes for great opportunities playing in the leaves. Parents and children can rake the leaves and then jump in the piles. Leaves are great for gluing onto pictures, and to press between pages of an old newspaper. Hiking and going for picnics are great activities in the fall. Fill up the thermos with hot chocolate; bring some sandwiches, fruits and vegetables while you spend hours in one of our beautiful parks. Children usually enjoy the outdoors collecting rocks, leaves, sticks and bugs. An activity I used to do as a child was to collect acorns. This was in preparation for Christmas. After collecting the acorns we would start a project of decorating them. Some we covered in sparkles, others were made into animals with eyes, ears and legs. The goal was always to take the nicest ones and use them as decorations on the Christmas tree, dinner table or around flower pots. Fall clean-up is also great to do as a family. Raking the lawn, emptying flower pots and cleaning the garden are all activities that keep us active. We can set up obstacle courses either in the house or in the backyard, play hide and seek, or play different games with balls. Fall is the time of harvest. If you have your own garden, this is the time to collect your pumpkins, potatoes and squash. There are so many uses for pumpkins. You can make cookies, muffins and loaves, and you can paint the pumpkins or carve them. For the more quiet days inside there are many activities to enjoy. We can cut an apple in half, paint it, and use it as a stamp to make beautiful pictures. Bead work, drawing and colouring will often occupy both children and adults for hours. Baking and cooking using produce that has just been harvested are great activities. Below is a delicious muffin recipe. Try making it with your children and enjoy this new season together with indoor and outdoor activities. Orange Pumpkin Muffins 1/2 tsp orange zest 2 large eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup canola oil 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup raisins Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C) Prepare muffin tins by spraying with nonstick cooking spray or inserting paper muffin cups. Set aside. To prepare orange zest, wash and dry an orange. Using a grater, grate the skin of the orange, making sure not to grate too long in one spot to avoid having the white, bitter rind in your muffins. Measure 1/2 tsp zest and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, and oil. Add pumpkin and mix thoroughly. In another medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange zest and raisins. Pour pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients. Stir until just combined (about 10 seconds). Do not over mix. Using a spoon, scoop batter into muffin tins until all the batter is used and muffin tins are evenly filled. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 servings. For more great recipes go to AHS Inspiring Healthy Eating at http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/nutrition/Page10996.aspx For parenting/child development programs/information in your area contact me at kari.hagen@ahs.ca or Best Babies and Building Blocks in Medicine Hat, Brooks, Bow Island, Oyen and surrounding areas, and Families First and First Steps in Lethbridge, Fort Macleod, Crowsnest Pass, Taber, Milk River, Raymond and surrounding areas. Kari Hagen is a health promotion facilitator with Alberta Health Services, and can be reached through email: kari.hagen@ahs.ca 36-35
