{fall activities & fun}
Capturing Fall
Local Apple Picking Guide For a list of local orchards for picking your own, see our online guide at CharlottesvilleFamily.com
Charming Apple Suncatchers
words and photos by Krissy Millar
September is the month where a welcomed crisp breeze makes you breathe in a little deeper, exhale a little longer. Fading sunshine bathes trees as they begin their metamorphosis into their fall glory. Apples, symbols of both fall and school days, are ready to be picked. This craft celebrates September and can easily be enjoyed and completed with your children. With just a few supplies, you can create apple-shaped suncatchers topped off, literally, with the subtle scent of cinnamon. Note: I highly recommend using an outdoor grill instead of an oven for this craft, because the smell of melting plastic will overwhelm your home if you do it indoors. If you must do it inside, your oven should be set at 400° for 20–25 minutes.
MATERIALS • Translucent pony beads (a large multipack from your local craft store) • Muffin pan • Outdoor grill • Oven mitts • Skewer or toothpick • Cinnamon sticks • Washi tape, green • Scissors • Suction-cup hooks (optional)
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MELT Heat your grill on medium-high. Place the muffin pan over the grill. Watch the melting beads, which will take about 10–12 minutes on the grill to melt completely. Once the beads are melted, but before you remove them from the heat, use a skewer to make a small hole at the top of each apple. (You will string your apples through this hole.) Use oven mitts to remove the muffin pan from heat. After the muffin pan cools completely, turn the pan over and pop out your apples.
DESIGN
SECURE & HANG
Have your child arrange pony beads by desired color and pattern in the muffin pan. Add a few clear to make the apples “glisten” more in the sun.
Your cooled apples are ready to hang! Cut an 8- to 12-inch piece of string for each suncatcher. Tie one end to the apple with a double knot and the other end to a
Fall 2020
cinnamon stick. To hang two suncatchers to one cinnamon stick, first tie two strings of different lengths to the suncatchers and then tie towards the ends of the stick.
EMBELLISH & ENJOY Add leaves by folding a 3-inch piece of green washi tape in half around the string near the top of each apple. Use scissors to trim the tape to look more like a leaf by rounding the edges. Hang with a suction-cup hook or tape to a window and enjoy the gorgeous September light. Krissy has come to peace with the fact that, although she tries, she will never have it all together, especially while mothering and homeschooling two girls, being a wife and running a business. Her work can be seen at krissymillar.com.
