Tag Archives: Halloween

3 Fun and Simple Fall Games for Preschoolers

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Fall Games for Preschoolers

Thanksgiving is looking a little different for many families this year, mine included. We are not having the traditional big family dinners due to the pandemic. To help entertain my son this holiday, I decided to make a few simple and easy fall games to play as a family.

I have included FREE downloads of the documents that I created. I hope that your family enjoys these games as much as we did. Enjoy!

1. Feed the Turkey

Feed the Turkey Fall Game

SUPPLIES

Plastic Bottle (I used Gatorade bottles)

Construction Paper

Googly Eyes

Pompoms

Dice

Fall Games

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, you will need to create the turkeys. Personally, I used plastic Gatorade bottles. I found that the opening on most water bottles was too small when trying to remove the pompoms. Start with cutting out a beak and feathers out of construction paper.

2. Time to glue. You will need to glue the feathers onto the backside of the bottle towards the top. On the front of the bottle add googly eyes and the beak.

3. Now that your bottles are ready, it’s time to play. Each player will take turns rolling the dice (you can use either one or two). If you use two dice, you can practice addition with your child. Each player will count and add the corresponding number of pompoms into their bottle. The first person to fill their bottle with pompoms wins!

Fall Games

My son wanted to play this game over and over. He loves to race, so this was right up his alley. This game helps to work on fine motor skills, counting, number recognition, addition and turn taking.

2. Fall Bingo

Fall Bingo Game

SUPPLIES

Fall Bingo Game (FREE Download)

Bingo Markers (such as pumpkin seeds, rocks, pompoms, etc.)

Fall Bingo Game

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Download and print the FREE fall bingo game. I recommend printing on cardstock for durability. You could laminate the bingo cards and pieces. As a side note, this game includes 10 bingo cards and the call sheet.

2. Next, cut the pieces out on the call sheet along the dotted lines.

3. Then, set out a bowl with colorful pumpkin seeds to use as bingo markers and a bowl with the call pieces.

4. Everyone should pick one bingo card to use. Place a pumpkin seed on the FREE space in the middle.

5. Now it’s time to play! Call out squares one by one by picking pieces out of the bowl. As items are called, place a pumpkin seed on the corresponding square on your bingo card. Once you have 5 in a row (vertical, horizontal or on a diagonal), say “BINGO!”

Fall Bingo with Dyed Pumpkin Seeds

This game was such a big hit with my son. We played it multiple times for several days. This game helps to work on fine motor skills, matching, fall vocabulary, and math.

Check out my previous blog post to learn “How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds.”

3. Fall Matching Game

Fall Matching Game

SUPPLIES

Fall Match Game (FREE Download)

Fall Matching Game

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Download and print the FREE fall matching game. I recommend printing on cardstock for durability. You could also laminate the pieces.

2. Next, cut the game pieces out along the dotted lines.

3. Time to play. Place the pieces face down on the table in a grid pattern. Then, take turns turning over two cards to find a match. The person with the most matches wins!

Fall Games
Fall Games

My son has always loved matching games. I created this game to help with his vocabulary of fall words. This game helps to work on literacy, vocabulary, matching, memory skills and turn taking.

Fall Games

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds

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How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds

My husband has always loved to carve a pumpkin for Halloween. Typically, we throw away the seeds and pulp. What do you like to do with the pumpkin seeds after you carve your jack-o-lantern?

This year, I decided to keep the pumpkin seeds to use for sensory activities. And considering that my son is currently obsessed with rainbows, I wanted to dye the seeds. Since I wanted to use these pumpkin seeds for fall activities, I opted to color them red, orange, yellow and green.

SUPPLIES

Pumpkin Seeds

Food Coloring

Plastic Zip Top Bags

Aluminum Foil

Baking Sheet

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, you need to clean and dry your pumpkin seeds. You want to get as much of the pulp off of them as possible.

2. Next, spread the seeds out on a baking sheet in a single layer.

3. Bake in the oven at 200° F for approximately 2 hours.

Baked Pumpkin Seeds
Baked Pumpkin Seeds

4. After the pumpkin seeds are cool to touch, separate them into plastic zip top bags.

5. Add the desired food coloring to each bag. Then, close the bag and mix the food coloring with the pumpkin seeds until they are fully coated.

Colored Pumpkin Seeds
Colored Pumpkin Seeds

6. Finally, lay the colored pumpkin seeds onto a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Allow them to dry. I recommend allowing them to air dry overnight. You will want them to be completely dry before using them.

If you want to speed up the process, you put them back in the oven for a little while. Just note that this may alter their color.

Dyed Pumpkin Seeds
Dyed Pumpkin Seeds

Once the pumpkin seeds are completely dry, you can use them in different projects such as sensory bins, play dough kits, games, and crafts. I loved how intense and bright the colors turned out. I cannot wait to share these with Ben!

How would you use them? I would love to hear from you. Have fun!

Dyed Fall Pumpkin Seeds
Fall Colored Pumpkin Seeds

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

Preschool STEM Pumpkin Investigation

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STEM Pumpkin Investigation for Preschoolers

Happy STEM Day! If you are not familiar with STEM, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Children have a natural inclination to explore. So, what better way to explore than with this fun pumpkin investigation.

SUPPLIES

Pumpkins (real and/or fake)

LEGOs (or something else to measure height)

Tape Measurer

Scale

Large Container with Water

Chart (Free Download at the End) and Marker to Track Your Findings

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation Worksheet

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make Observations about the Appearance of the Pumpkins

First, ask the question, “What color is each pumpkin?” Next, ask if each pumpkin is big or small. Finally, ask the question, “Is the stem long or short?” Make sure to record your observations on the chart. You can download the chart that we used at the end of this post.

2. Measure the Height of the Pumpkins

For this part of our science experiment, we used stacked LEGOs to measure the height of the different pumpkins. Have your child stack and count them. If you do not have LEGOs, you can use another type of block or a ruler. Record your measurements in the chart.

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation

3. Measure the Circumference of the Pumpkins

In this next step, we used a soft tape measure to measure the circumference of each pumpkin.

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation

4. Weigh the Pumpkins

Time to weigh the pumpkins. We were able to weigh the larger pumpkins by themselves on the scale. For the smaller ones, we weighed them with Ben holding them then subtracted his weight.

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation

5. Will the Pumpkins Sink or Float?

In this final step, you will need to have a large container to fill with water. We used our wheelbarrow, and Ben enjoyed filling it with water. This boy loves water!

Next, have your child make a prediction on whether they think each pumpkin will sink or float. Then into the water they go. Finally, have your child note whether each pumpkin sank or floated. Were their predictions correct?

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation Sink or Float

As an added bonus, the wheelbarrow turned into an impromptu sensory bin after we finished up. As I said before, Ben loves water!

Sensory Play with Water and Pumpkins

CLICK below to DOWNLOAD the Free PDF of my Pumpkin Investigation Worksheet.

FREE DOWNLOAD

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

Halloween Sensory Bin with Colored Spaghetti

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We absolutely love sensory bins in our household! How about you? For Halloween, I decided to make a spooky, slimy Halloween-inspired sensory bin with colored spaghetti. I can feel the slimy noodles sliding through my fingers even thinking about it.

SUPPLIES

Cooked Spaghetti

Olive Oil

Plastic Zip Top Bags

Liquid Watercolors (you can substitute food coloring)

Halloween Items such as Googly Rings, Skeletons, Spiky Balls, Monster Finger Puppets, and a Small Plastic Black Cauldron

Scissors, Tweezers and Scoops

Clear Rubbermaid Container (or something similar)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil Spaghetti

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Then add your spaghetti. I used one box. Follow the instructions on the box for how long to cook the noodles.

Once they are done cooking, drain the water and rinse with cold water. Next, add a few splashes of olive oil and mix. This will help keep the spaghetti from sticking together.

2. Color Spaghetti

Next, you need to divide the spaghetti into three equal portions. Put each portion into a zip top plastic bag. You can use three separate bags or one bag and you rinse between each color.

Add a few drops of liquid watercolor paint to each bag in your desired colors. I used orange, purple, and green. Seal the bags and mix the color with the spaghetti until it is evenly coated. Add more watercolor if needed. You can use food coloring in substitute of the liquid watercolor.

The benefits of using liquid watercolor paint is that it is washable and it tends to be more vibrant in color.

Spread the spaghetti out on a sheet pan or plate to dry. Allow at least 45 minutes for drying before use.

Please note that the spaghetti is inedible with the liquid watercolor paint. If you want to keep it edible, you will need to use food coloring to dye the noodles.

3. Assemble Sensory Bin

In a plastic bin, place the spaghetti separated by color. Then add your Halloween toys and tools. That’s it!

Just a reminder to use age appropriate toys. Some toys may be choking hazards.

4. Play Time

Now comes the fun part. It’s play time! Invite your child to play. This sensory bin will help them with textures and fine motor skills.

5. Storage

I recommend storing your sensory bin in an airtight container in the fridge. If stored correctly, it can last for up to a week.

REFLECTIONS

This was my first time using spaghetti for a sensory bin. Therefore, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on what I would have done differently.

– I would have cooked my spaghetti a little bit longer. I cooked it for about 3-4 minutes in boiling water. The noodles were bendable, but a little too firm that they were breaking while I was handling them. I recommend cooking them as their packaging instructs.

– I did not have orange or purple liquid watercolors, so I mixed colors to make them. Next time, I would probably use the actual color instead of blending two together.

– I would have laid the noodles in a thinner layer to dry. It took longer than expected for them to dry.

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

How to Make a Recycled Cardboard Monster

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Recycled Cardboard Monsters

This week’s homework assignment was to make monsters out of recycled cardboard. Challenge accepted. I love crafts, and I especially love reusing or repurposing items. Therefore, making a cardboard monster was right up my alley.

This is a fun activity that allows your child to use their imagination. What do you want your monster to look like? Is it going to be big or small? How many eyes will it have? Does it have antennas?

Recycled Cardboard

SUPPLIES

Cardboard Boxes (tissue boxes, cereal boxes, etc.)

Toilet Paper or Paper Towel Rolls

Googly Eyes

Glue and/or Tape

Construction Paper

Scissors

Art Supplies (such as feathers, pompoms, dabbers, markers, and pipe cleaners)

Divided Tray

Art Supplies Tray

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Set Up Supplies

I assembled a bin of random cardboard boxes and toilet paper rolls. You could also add paper towel rolls, tin cans (be careful of sharp edges), plastic bottles, and bottle caps. In addition to these, I set out a tray with colorful feathers, bright popsicle sticks, pompoms, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and construction paper cut into shapes. You can have your child cut out the shapes that they want. I leave this to your discretion as you know your child’s skills best. Finally, I laid out construction paper, markers, glue, tape, bingo dabbers, and scissors.

Recycled Cardboard Monsters

2. Pick Out Your Cardboard Materials

First, I had Ben pick out a box. He wanted to make a tall cardboard monster, so he picked out one of the bigger boxes. You can either add legs and arms now or after you decorate the main box. We chose to add them at the end, which made it easier to to decorate. Plus, it takes awhile for the glue to dry when attaching the legs, arms, etc.

3. Color Your Monster

Next, we used construction paper to color our cardboard monster, but you could also use crayons, markers, paint, or even wrapping paper.

When asked what color did he want to make his monster, Ben exclaimed, “Rainbow!” We cut out colorful panels of construction paper that Ben attached with glue to each side.

Recycled Cardboard Monsters

4. Decorate Your Monster

Let your child’s imagination run wild. It’s time to decorate your monster. Be creative.

Recycled Cardboard Monsters
Recycled Cardboard Monsters

5. Assemble Cardboard Monster

Time to put your monster together. Add its legs, arms, tails, and antennas with either glue or tape. Allow time for everything to dry before playing with your recycled cardboard monster.

Recycled Cardboard Monsters

TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

This activity teaches so much to your child. Not only are they working on their engineering and fine motor skills, your child can works on shapes, numbers, math, counting, colors and more.

Here are some ideas:

– Name colors of the the items that you are using.

– How many eyes, arms, antenna, etc.? Add or subtract items.

– Name shapes that you are using. I cut out different shapes to be used and asked him to name which shapes he wanted to use.

– Name body parts as you are adding them to the monster.

These are just a few ideas of lessons that you can work on while creating your cardboard monster. I would love to hear what lessons you worked on with your little one while making cardboard monsters.

Recycled Cardboard Monsters

Alternative Cardboard Monster

If you do not want to make a big cardboard monster with lots of parts, I suggest making some with just a single toilet paper roll. We covered ours with construction paper, but you could use markers or paint to color it. Then add your decorative items like above. Aren’t they cute?!

Toilet Paper Roll Monsters
Toilet Paper Roll Monsters

For more monster fun, check out our DIY Colorful Monster Play Dough Kit.

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

How to Make a Color-Resist Watercolor Spider Web

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Watercolor resist spider web

Eek! I just saw a spider. Oh wait…. it’s just today’s art project. Today’s project is a color-resist watercolor spider web. Color-resist is so much fun, because there’s a hidden surprise that your child finds once they start painting. And who doesn’t love a surprise?!

Before beginning to paint, we read the story “The Very Busy Spider” by Eric Carle. I love when I can pair a book with an activity! Ben really enjoyed this story. He loved all of the animals and the spider web. He said that the spider web looks like a maze (one of his current obsessions).

Full Bloom Creativity is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Watercolor supplies
The Very Busy Spider

SUPPLIES

White Watercolor Paper

White Crayon

Liquid Watercolor Paints (or whatever watercolor paint that you have)

Paintbrushes

Paint Pallet (or a paper plate)

Water Cup (I use one of Ben’s old snack cups, because I like the rubber bottom and handles)

Salt (optional)

Watercolor supplies
Preschool watercolor

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Draw Spider Web

First, use a white (or another light color) crayon to draw a spider web on a white piece of watercolor paper. I recommend using watercolor paper versus other paper because it can handle a lot of water. If your child is like mine, more water ends up on the paper than actual paint.

2. Prepare Paint Pallet

Next, I set up a paint pallet with different color liquid watercolor paints and a cup of water. I gave him many primary colors for this project, because he has enjoy mixing colors to make secondary colors. You can use whatever colors that you want. I love this simple plastic pallet, because it is the perfect size for Ben and it is easy to clean. It has held up well through many projects. If you do not have a pallet, you can use a paper plate.

3. Paint

Lastly, let your kid paint. No other instructions. As they paint, the hidden spiderweb will reveal itself. Surprise!

4. Add Salt (Optional)

In addition, you can sprinkle salt onto the painting while it is still wet. It will make the paint look splotchy. This is an optional step.

Preschool watercolor
Watercolor Spider Web Toddler art

Ben loves mixing the colors together to see what they will turn. We have been practicing which primary colors make secondary colors. He definitely knows that red and yellow make his favorite color orange.

Revealing the spider web. So exciting!

Watercolor Spider Web

Somehow Ben always finds a way to incorporate cars into whatever activity that we are doing. LOL Can we say car obsessed?! He had fun chasing the car around his painting with the paintbrush while saying, “Catch me.”

Watercolor Spider Web
Watercolor Spider Web
Watercolor Spider Web

Since Ben loves to mix all of his colors together, most of his projects turn out some shade of brown. Today’s project turned out to be shades of dark green. I guess he used mainly blue and yellow paints. I will say that the darker paint colors made the web more visible.

Ben had so much fun that he asked to paint more spiderwebs. Of course, he added his cars from the start this time. On one of his paintings, we added salt. He loved sprinkling it on. However, he eventually just started to dump it on. Haha!

Watercolor Spider Web
Watercolor Spider Web
Watercolor Spider Web

What do you think? I would love to hear from you when you try this with your children. Happy Halloween!

For more Halloween fun, check out these blog posts:

Watercolor Spider Web

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

DIY Colorful Monster Play Dough Kit

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Monster Play Dough Kit

Can you believe that Halloween is less than a week away? To get in the spooky spirit, I decided to make a colorful monster play dough kit. I was inspired by the book “Never Touch a Monster!” It is one of our favorite books. I like the flow of the book, because it is easy to read. Ben loves the bright colors and being able to feel the different textures.

On a side note, I still need to make Ben’s costume. He wants to be a ghost. Since, we are big fans of Charlie Brown in our house, I used “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” as inspiration. Therefore, his costume is going to be a simple white sheet.

Monster Play Dough Kit

Full Bloom Creativity is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Never Touch a Monster!

SUPPLIES FOR MONSTER PLAY DOUGH TRAY

Play Dough (green, purple, and orange)

Googly Eyes

Vampire Fangs

Colorful Beads

Bright Colored Popsicle Sticks

Colorful Pipe Cleaners

Play Knife

Play Scissors

Rolling Pin

Divided Tray

I purchased all of the materials, except the scissors and the rolling pin, at our local Dollar Tree. The rolling pin and scissors were purchased on Amazon.

For this play dough kit, I decided to use play dough that I bought at the dollar store. However, if you would like to make homemade play dough, check out this recipe.

Just a reminder to use your judgment on what items are age appropriate for your child. Some of these items may be choking hazards.

Monster Play Dough Kit

After I assembled this play dough kit, I left it on the counter for Ben to discover. He was so excited when he saw it and wanted to play immediately. All I had to tell him was that he was supposed to make a monster. That was the only direction that he needed.

I did end up cutting the vampire fangs in half, because they were easier to use that way. I also showed Ben how to twist the pipe cleaners.

Creating Monsters

We are working on scissor skills. Ben needs help with where to put his fingers and to keep the thumb side up when cutting. This was good practice.

Play dough kits are great for sensory play and developing fine motor skills.

Practicing Scissor Skills

Ben came up with the idea of making monster pizzas with the play dough. I love watching his imagination run wild! He used the rolling pins to roll out the dough, then he added the different items to create his monster. After creating his pizza, he cut slices with his plastic knife. Then he pretended to eat the pizza saying, “Yummy!”

Monster Play Dough Pizza
Monster Play Dough Pizza
Monster Play Dough Pizza

Ben had a great time making monsters! I kept the kit on the counter, and he has played with it multiple times this week. I hope that you try this with your little ones.

For another monster craft, check out my blog post, “How to Make a Recycled Cardboard Monster.” Or if you are already for Christmas, check out my blog post “DIY Frosty Snowman Play Dough Tray.” Happy Halloween!

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Find us on: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.