We visited my mom this weekend to help her organize herself for winter (yes, I said THAT word, even though it’s a warm 65 degrees as I type this.) After we finished cleaning out her garden, trimming some tree limbs and outfitting her horse tank with insulation and a heater, she helped Darla to decorate a pumpkin for a fun school project. Here’s the result - may I please introduce you to “Jac”:

Notice the distinctly canine ears and snout, as well as the dog biscuit and collar! Needless to say, they both had a wonderful time creating this masterpiece. I’m so happy Darla’s teacher encouraged his students to enlist the help of family members - because Mom’s artsy-fartsy signature is clearly on this pumpkin.

This is totally an example of passing the pumpkin torch.

You can join me each week, and pass the torch. Just share a simple or stupendous time kids make you proud, or a way you see adults passing the torch. Blog your story or share it in comments. My comment plugin will leave your link automatically. Former PTT posts. Complete Guidelines.

Remember our PRODUCT GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK! Career Expedition Boardgame and Think It, Ink It writing curriculum.

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WINNER IS MELANIE (#24) - CONGRATULATIONS! Thanks to all who played along (and thanks random.org for your random integer generator!)

Shannon at Bloggy Giveaways is hosting a giveaway link-fest, and I’m giving away a product I was asked to review and COMPLETELY LOVE!

It’s called Think it, Ink it - a professionally illustrated series of books, where your child is the author. You simply purchase one of the illustrated workbooks (there are several very different books), and your child writes his or her own story on the lines. The kit also includes large sticky notes, so children can easily revise their story without ruining the page. After writing the final copy on the lines, parents can send in the workbook to the Think It, Ink It company (for an additional charge) and have the book typeset and published in hard cover. Otherwise, you can keep the workbook version as a keepsake. It’s also possible to write the story online and purchase the book directly.

This is an awesome tool for the homeschooling family, teachers, or parents trying to encourage their kids to write creatively. It was a very motivating tool for my son - I’ve included a photo of some of his work from last summer. He is NOT a fan of writing, but he was very eager to write this story.

To enter the contest, please just click over to the Think it, Ink it site and look around. Then come back here and tell me you’d like to be included in the drawing. You can participate even if you don’t have a blog. Just make sure you leave a working email when you leave your comment. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, November 2. US residents only, please. Thanks for participating!

Also check out our Career Expedition boardgame giveaway this week!

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WINNER IS KALEB HALL (#129) - CONGRATULATIONS! Thanks to all who played along (and thanks random.org for your random integer generator!)

Shannon at Bloggy Giveaways is hosting a giveaway link-fest, and I’m giving away a Career Expedition boardgame, produced by my company - Empowering Youth, Inc.

Career Expedition is a fun and interactive board game that generates a discussion about career decision-making. The perfect tool for school counselors, teachers, homeschoolers and parents, Career Expedition is the game you will use to encourage youth to discover keys to their personal career planning process.

Players read realistic examples of choices young people make during the career preparation process, as well as cards which guide players through their personal career planning process. It’s ideal for students in 6th-12th grades.

To be included in the drawing, please just click over to the Career Expedition boardgame page on my company site and click on the “sample cards” links next to the photo. Then come back here and tell me which cards you liked the best. You can participate even if you don’t have a blog. Just make sure you leave a working email when you leave your comment. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, November 2. Thanks for participating!

Also check out our Think It, Ink It giveaway this week!

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This post was first published October 29, 2006.

I’ve never seen my kids take anything so seriously.

We didn’t carve pumpkins, we gave them a D and C. It wasn’t MY idea. If they were my Jack-O-Lanterns, Craig’s assessment would be correct:

“They’d have gunk hanging out of their noses.”

Happy Halloween!

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(This post will also be a part of Works for me Wednesday this week.)

Halloween is a great time to pass the torch — it’s an opportunity to give kids a choice, and empower them to come up with their own ideas. When my son Craig was six, he chose to dress up as a fisherman. My article about it was published in a magazine and I shared it with you exactly a year ago.

This year, it looks like Darla will be a witch and Craig will dress up as Johnny Cash. Whatever they decide, it will be their own getup, put together with items on hand, or those stockpiled in their “dress-up bin” from after-Halloween sales in years past. I can’t wait to tell you next week what Darla has dreamed up for her Halloween themed Book-Worm Wednesday.

At ages eight and ten, our kids are very capable of creating their own ensembles, with simple guidance from us. But that’s partly because they’ve been expected to do it for years.

What will your kids be for Halloween?

You can join me each week, and pass the torch. Just share a simple or stupendous time kids make you proud, or a way you see adults passing the torch. Blog your story or share it in comments. My comment plugin will leave your link automatically. Former PTT posts. Complete Guidelines.

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