Early Head Start in Graves County, Kentucky
was excited to host a family engagement event in person again. We wanted to provide activities for the fall season that promoted parents playing and interacting with their children. The DEY grant helped us achieve our goal of providing a Fall Fun Day for our families. When families arrived they participated in crafts, games, and a nature scavenger hunt. For the crafts, we did pine cone weaving and made sensory bottles. During the pine cone weaving, the children had to weave a pipe cleaner around the pine cone, which helped with fine motor skills. Fall sensory bottles consisted of an empty container with lid, vegetable oil, acorn easers, leaf easers, faux fall leaves, and glitter. Children could pick and choose what and how much of each they wanted to put in their sensory bottle. Making their own sensory bottles enabled them to express themselves through art and play. It also encouraged interest in science because they watched which items floated in vegetable oil or sunk straight to the bottom.
Ninety-five people attended our Fall Fun Day event, this included Moms, Dads, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, family friends, community partners, high school student workers and Head Start staff. Putting together such an event is both exhausting and rewarding! It takes all hands on deck and lots of preplanning and budgeting. DEY’s money made a difference!
