Pumpkin Patch Cracker Stackers

The morning that E's co-op preschool class had a pumpkin patch field trip scheduled, our 14-year-old kitty Meow Meow died of cancer. Because Z had been so distressed and anxious the previous few days at her declining health, I opted to keep her home from school that day. But I knew the pumpkin patch would be a welcome distraction, so we all went together. Z had loved this pumpkin patch when we went with her co-op preschool class when she was 2 and 3! Plus our teachers used to be her teachers, and they'd love to see her again!

E's Pumpkin-licious Lunch

Uncured ham, goat cheese, Glutino crackers and pretzel chips, organic carrots and strawberries

 

Wednesday, 10/29/14 - I packed a pumpkin-themed lunch for E for our pumpkin-themed adventure! She's just starting to get into enjoying the MOMables DIY Cracker Stackers and actually stacking and eating the elements together instead of separately. Plus it's a quick option for Mama to pack, and very easy to grab a mini cookie cutter and make a fun theme!
mini pumpkin cutter silicone pumpkin cup

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Ladybug Lunch for Z

Uncured ham, goat cheese, Glutino crackers and pretzel chips, organic carrots and strawberries

 

Since I hadn't planned on Z coming to the pumpkin patch with us, I had packed her a ladybug garden theme instead. Exactly the same lunch as Little Sis, but with a scalloped flower cutter and ladybug silicone cup (found on eBay. Good luck. They're hard to find!)

For those of you interested in a few pics of our pumpkin patch adventures, keep scrolling!

Tools of the Trade

    
Food for Thought
 

Both girls fought me a little at first, insisting that they were too sad to leave the house. My First Grader even threw my own words back at me. "You said I could stay HOME from school today!" Lol! But luckily once we arrived at the pumpkin patch, the Corn Box was our very first stop. My sensory kiddo looooooooves playing in the giant sandboxes filled with dried corn kernels.

Geronimooooo!

Last year we went without Big Sis, and E clung anxiously to me most of the time. It was so fun watching her blossom by having her big sister around this year! She charged fearlessly behind her sister and tried so many things that I had had to cajole her into (or had to give up and just sit and wait until the group moved on) last year.

Both girls were proud of their pumpkin choices. Z picked the biggest one she could find, and E went for the smallest. So she could carry it herself! Lol!

This farm has a large Kiddie Corral full of fun activities. Tire swings cut into shapes (tractors this year, but horses in the past,) sitting on a wooden horse to lasso a wooden calf, "milking" a wooden cow, exploring cow hut things, slides, climbing and exploring tractors, water pump trough ducky races, giant chalkboards, and bubbles! E wanted to play at their little climbing toy shaped like a house, and swing on the swings, but Big Sis spent her time mastering the art of gigantic bubbles. I was so proud of her! She didn't get frustrated and start hitting or melting down when her wand didn't make a bubble, or when someone would bump her or pop her bubble before she got there. She tried different methods of dipping the wand to get the best results, different waving techniques, all kinds of things! I was quite frankly gobsmacked at her level of dedication and hard work. It was fun watching them enjoy the corn box and petting the kittens and cooing over the bunnies. But watching my big girl concentrate on her bubble skills was the high point of my day! 

By the time we got to the How Tall This Fall pumpkin near the entrance, both girls were donnnnne! So I got a few belligerent pictures of them in front of it, and then we left for Nana's! Z was still sad over losing Meow Meow, but a morning full of fresh air, natural light, and massive sensory input really helped her cope.

October 2014: E (almost 3,) and Z (almost 6 1/2)

Here's the same pumpkin from when Z was 2, next to the last time Z and I went 3 years ago (age 3,) followed by E not cooperating last year (age almost-2)