Skeleton Jack-O-Lantern (Photo by Rennett Stowe) Halloween enthusiasts of all ages like to get creative and crafty with costumes. But this holiday also brings out the artist in many who will use the pumpkin as their canvas. People are starting their jack-o’-lantern projects online, searching for ideas and inspiration, as well as patterns and instructions. On Halloween night, countless pumpkins will sit in front of homes with their classic, old-fashioned faces. But their triangular eyes will be staring jealously across the street at the fancy pumpkins -- the ones with elaborately carved faces, elegant stencils, and ferocious demeanors. If you'd like to try your hand at pumpkin carving, check out some galleries of images for ideas. Looking at all the amazing creations can be intimidating, but there are designs for all styles and skill levels. There are also a number of tutorials out there. For those of us who wish to decorate pumpkins but aren't allowed to handle knives, an apple corer can produce some great effects. If you are squeamish about stabbing your pumpkin at all, you can paint it. Or you can do the humane thing and display them in all their natural glory. Suggested Sites... How to Carve an Elaborate Pumpkin Design, Easily! - step-by-step instructions with pictures. Extreme Pumpkins - photo galleries of creative and crazy pumpkins, with tutorials, patterns, and instructions on how to preserve your pumpkin. Ray's Pumpkin Carving Tutorial - instructions on 3-D style pumpkin sculpting, with photos. Pumpkin Carving and Decorating Ideas - from Martha Stewart Living, dozens of amazing examples. The Pumpkin Wizard - hundreds of pumpkin carving patterns.

Directory categories: Jack-O'-Lanterns, Halloween Activities and Crafts, Halloween, Pumpkin Carving Tips and Templates, Pumpkin Carving Supplies

Archived under: Arts, Autumn, Crafts, Halloween, Holidays, Home and Garden, Jack-O-Lanterns, Pumpkins

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As autumn rolls in, we've been stocking our web pantry (a.k.a., the Directory) with great sites to help you out this season. Here’s a selection of the freshest choice sites: Best-selling author James Patterson has put together a site where he offers recommendations for kids' books, sorted by age group. It's a wonderful resource for teachers, librarians, and for parents of kids heading back to school. You can browse book lists by type, read and listen to author interviews, and view lesson plans. Now that "Reading Rainbow" is no more, this is just the kind of site we need! We're already looking forward to Halloween. The California Science Center must be, too. Their latest exhibition, "Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear," is traveling all over the country, and has a great interactive online exhibit to get you in the mood -- or at least explain the mood. Explore how fear works in the brain, in the wild, and in the media -- and find out how to deal with it. Fall is a season for cooking. But when you're ready to take a break and eat out, you may want more than "just" a restaurant review. Dishola allows users to review specific menu items at local eateries, and upload photos of their meals. For those who are trying to live green (a good idea in any season), Project Label provides "nutritional labels" for companies, revealing their social and environmental impact based on public info and user input. Suggested Sites... Read, Kiddo, Read! - the world of kids' books, according to James Patterson. Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear - online and traveling exhibit explains why our hearts race, our knees shake, and our bodies sweat when we're scared. Dishola - reviews for individual menu items at local eateries. Project Label - company "nutrition" labels rate impact on the planet, community, and workers.

Directory categories: Children’s Literature, The Brain, Restaurant Reviews, Green Product Reviews

Archived under: Authors, Autumn, Books, Children, Children´s Literature, Consumer Advocacy, Eating, Education, Food and Drink, Green Living, Green Products, Museums, Parenting, Psychology, Reading, Restaurants, Science, Society and Culture, Yahoo! Directory

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On their way back to pencils, books, and teachers' dirty looks (Photo by D Sharon Pruitt) It's that time again. If you're a parent, a teacher, or a kid, you're probably very aware that "Back to School" time is here. As autumn blows in, we turn our attention to shopping, lesson planning, and lunch packing. As you reflect on the past few weeks for your obligatory "What I Did on My Summer Vacation"essay, we've got some good news. Our Education specialist has been hard at work scoping out the best resources on the web to help with your preparations. For teachers, the Directory lists plenty of sites offering ideas for back-to-school lesson plans, classroom-management strategies, and tips for new teachers. Parents will find sources for school supplies in the Directory, and learn how to provide support for their school-aged kids, including quelling first-day jitters. Kids can get homework help, tools for learning, and even start researching colleges. On day one, the year’s curriculum won’t be of the highest concern to everyone. Parents will likely be agonizing about what to pack in kids' lunches. And the kids, of course, will have "more important" things on their minds. Suggested Sites... TeacherVision Back to School Headquarters - advice, lesson plans, printables, activities, and many resources for teachers. Classroom Management 101 - tips and rules from Education World for new and experienced teachers. Class Set-Up Tool - virtual layout from Scholastic lets teachers plan classroom layouts and make seating charts. Tools for Student Success - U.S. Department of Education resources for parents. School on Yahoo! Shine - Posts tagged "school" on Shine from Yahoo!

Directory categories: Education, Teaching, Lesson Plans, Parenting, Educating Your Child

Archived under: Autumn, Books, Children, Education, Kids, Parenting, School, Teachers, Teaching, Yahoo! Directory

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Fall foliage in Worcester, MA (Photo by Paul Keleher) Leaf peepers of the world unite! The colors of summer have lost their fight. Gone now is the chlorophyll, once oh-so-green, And in autumn, instead, we see on the scene The anthocyanins, so rich, red, and bright, As well as carotenoids, mimicking light. So hop in a car, on a bus, 'board a cruise, But best do it now -- for there's no time to lose! Just check on the timing, and book your first trip; For the views you see here are only the tip Of the visual feast your eyes will soon sight, As the days grow shorter and lengthen the night. Envision yourself on a road paved in gold, Or strolling a forest too rich to behold, Then make yourself part of the wonders you see By making true art with the leaves of a tree. Next heap it up high, in a beautiful pile, And throw yourself in with a satisfied smile. Suggested Sites... The Foliage Network - get the latest foliage updates for the Northeastern, Southeastern, and Midwestern U.S. Flickr: Fall Foliage - Flickr group featuring the best and brightest of fall colors. Science Made Simple: Autumn Leaf Colors - kid-friendly explanation of the science behind the color show.

Directory categories: Fall Foliage, New England Environment and Nature, New England Transportation and Travel, Tree Identification

Archived under: Autumn, Botany, Environment, Nature, Science, Tourist Attractions, Travel, Trees

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(Photo by Kenneth Lu) Get lost! Normally not such a pleasant sentiment, but that's exactly what droves of people are doing this autumn: getting happily lost in corn mazes. Inspired by myths of the Greek labyrinth at Knossos and the hedge puzzles of Medieval and Renaissance Europe, a corn (or maize) maze is a life-size puzzle where adventure, if not a hungry Minotaur, lurks among the stalks. Mazes are part and parcel of a variety of agritourism that includes pumpkin patches, apple picking, and hayrides. As small farms find it increasingly difficult to eke out a traditional living, these attractions offer alternate uses for land resources. Not only do they bring in tourist revenue, but they help urbanites reconnect with the land, learn about food production from the source, and enjoy a little fall fun. Modern corn mazes, replete with bridges, tunnels, and costumed guides, have proliferated in the last decade, and are now de rigueur harvest-time attractions. Dozens of professional maze companies have cropped up in recent years and the challenge is on to build the biggest and best. According to Guinness, this year's prize for size belongs to Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon, California. The sheer enormity of their 40-acre maze required the owners to set up a phone line to help lost wanderers find their way out. Now that's a-MAIZE-ing! Suggested Sites... Pumpkin Patches and More - directory of corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hayrides, and other harvest-time fun. The MAiZE - one of the world’s largest cornfield maze companies. "Mazes and Labryinths" - online version of the classic book by W.H. Matthews. Agritourism World - find agritourism destinations around the world.

Directory categories: Mazes, Halloween, Corn Crops, Corn Recipes, Agribusiness

Archived under: Autumn, Corn, Entertainment, Halloween, Mazes, Recreation and Travel, Theme Parks, Tourist Attractions

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