Balloon Pumpkin Patch for the First Day of Fall

We kicked off the first day of fall, this morning, with pumpkin muffins, apple cider, and a trip to the pumpkin patch.

Yes, I know it's a tad early for pumpkin patches. Actually, we don't even have any in our area, anymore. A year or two ago, a couple of farmers tried to grow enough pumpkins to make a patch, and it was fun - but nothing like the patches near Grandma's house in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Given our dismal garden showing this fall, I can't blame our local farmers for giving up. But, we weren't ready to abandon a favorite fall tradition.

So, this morning, before the children got up, I scattered orange (and a few green) pumpkins around the floor...

...tied them together with curly ribbon...

...and taped on some construction paper leaves.

Then, when the children got up, they ate their muffins, drank their cider, and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" (we have it on disk, but you can find it online, here).

I know it's a early for the Great Pumpkin, too. And, we don't even celebrate Halloween, anymore. But, I'm a sucker for all things Charlie Brown, and it went perfectly with our breakfast.

I placed a real pumpkin on the table too, with the promise of some fall themed schoolwork, later in the day.



But first, it was off to the patch, for some good old fashioned pumpkin picking, of our own.

It's great to be a homeschooler.