Looking for ideas to make your adopted children really feel like part of their new family? You probably want to establish family memories that your adopted children will enjoy, consider unique, and want to talk about later. Fun things that they will want to take pictures of and put in their life books or scrapbooks.

I came across an article yesterday in the Clean Home Journal suggesting fun family autumn ideas. I always seem to put an adoption spin on things that I see and read, even though that wasn’t the author’s original intention. This pumpkin carving and stacking idea seemed like a Kodak moment and will help to establish the adopted children’s place in the family.

The Clean Home Journal suggests making a family pumpkin tower. Family members spend time together designing and carving small pumpkins to represent each member of the family, even pets if you’d like. The pumpkins don’t need to be an exact likeness, but do add a few details such as glasses, bushy eyebrows, or buck teeth to help identify the individual represented.

When the pumpkins are all personified, cut holes in the top and in the bottom of each pumpkin, except the one that will be on the bottom, which needs its bottom left intact. Then stack the pumpkins in the family order, perhaps daddy or mommy pumpkin on the bottom and baby pumpkin or fluffy the cat on top and secure each one with toothpicks. Place a tall candle inside the bottom pumpkin so the light shines all the way up through the family!
The Journal also suggest coating the edges of your carved jack-o’-lanterns with petroleum jelly to make them last longer.

When is the last time you collected colorful leaves that are falling off the trees? On a family outing, which may involve hiding in leaf piles collect the most colorful leaves.

Then place a sheet of wax paper, waxy side up, either on your ironing board or on top of a folded bath towel on the kitchen table. Have each child place his or her favorite leaves on their own sheet of wax paper, not overlapping, and staying at least an inch from all the edges. Then place another sheet of wax paper with the waxy side down on the leaves on top. Cover with brown paper (like a grocery bag) and iron on medium heat. The iron will melt the wax onto the leaf, preserving the leaves’ shape and color.

Be sure to write each child’s name and the date on the masterpiece. Use the artwork to decorate the house. I like to tape these in windows so the sun can shine through them. Remember to take pictures during these family activities and hang some up. Children feel more like part of the family when they see their photos beside other family members on the walls.

Get extra copies of the photos and then on snow or rain days have a family scrapbooking day. We like to stay in our pajamas and spread out on the living room floor with our scrapbooks. Mom passes out the photos and the children place them in their scrapbooks and write messages.

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