Halloween Pumpkin Craft

This is a such an easy craft idea, inexpensive and ideal for all ages and capabilities.

You'll need several sheets of tissue paper -purple, orange and green (cut the green tissue paper into strips)- toilet paper rolls (one roll per pumpkin) and optionally some Halloween themed accessories to decorate.

Place the sheet of tissue paper down flat, center one roll of toilet paper on top.  Start tucking the tissue paper into the roll.  Finally, roll the green tissue paper up and tuck it into the top of your toilet paper roll, this is the stem of the pumpkin.

There is the option to decorate the pumpkin once complete, we used Halloween themed stickers.

Happy Crafting!

The Early Years: Creating A Culture Of Literacy

By Dale Ho

How do we create that culture of literacy? I believe it takes a village; The community, the school and home all working together to educate and support our children and youth and it all starts from as early as birth. 

Experts all agree that the early years are the most formative years of a child's life. Educating parents as early as during pregnancy on the importance of literacy and the early years is a starting point and providing that continuity of care thereafter is vital.

When creating that culture of literacy there's the obvious, creating a print rich environment, this is merely one piece of the puzzle.

Early childhood is about laying the foundation, setting skills for life and when equipped with the appropriate resources such as trained staff, materials, community professionals and quality programming, daycare centers can play a key role in the development of these early literacy skills. 

The early years is also a time where intervention is key. Identifying needs as they arise and providing the proper treatment plan moving forward can avoid complications in the future.

By investing in the early years we are investing in the future of our children.  Our goal should be to provide the best possible start in life for every child.





Over the years Dale has worked in the field of education in varying capacities. She is a published author and continues to contribute articles from parenting to education for both print and online publications. Dale has successfully developed and facilitated several literacy based programs that have served families and businesses alike within the community. Dale can also be found working away as a Freelance Consultant as it pertains to the field of Education and The Early Years.