The air is crisp and clear, the leaves are brilliant, and the pumpkins are stacked outside the grocery store. Fall could easily be everyone’s favorite time of year, and if you have children, there are many wonderful ways to share it. All of the nostalgia you feel for the season can be recreated in their memories with a few simple weekend outings. Set aside some time this year for at least a few of these fall activity ideas.
Corn Maze
You may have to venture past suburbia, but locations which offer a corn maze often offer other fun fall favorites, like hay rides or hay bale climbing. Often the setting is a working farm or U-pick location complete with a pumpkin patch. Take your kids through the 3-D labyrinth and get lost in the fun!
Rake Leaves
Hopefully, you have great memories of jumping into a huge pile of fluffy leaves sometime in your childhood. Recreate the scene for your kids – except our generation can enjoy the luxury of a leaf blower. Take a few leaves inside for preschoolers to make crayon rubbings.
Attend a Football Game
If you have any young sports fans in your family they will no doubt love to visit a high school football game – even if you don’t know a soul. Bundle up and take extra cash for drinking lots of hot cocoa.
Visit a Pumpkin Patch or Apple Orchard
If the corn maze didn’t also offer a pumpkin patch, pack up the family and pretend to be Linus in your search for the Great Pumpkin. Or take a trip to an apple orchard and pick a bushel or more. Then make some homemade applesauce or apple butter at home. Find out ahead of time if you will be allowed to pick the apples yourself. Some orchards have halted U-pick options because of liability insurance.
Visit a Cider Mill
A cider mill is even more thrilling than the apple orchard, because it involves machinery, moving parts, and tasting. Don’t forget to sample the apple cider cake donuts.
Stuff a Scarecrow
Grab some old clothes, a small bale of hay (rectangle, not round!) and your creative juices to make a friendly scarecrow for your front porch. Let your kids help you brainstorm, especially for how you will make the head. (Gourd? Flour sack?)
Visit a Bluegrass Festival
Okay, maybe you’re not into bluegrass. But there’s something about the autumn air that begs you to do something folksy or fun. Check online bulletin boards or city guides for local festivals or street carnivals and their date
Make Your Favorite Fall Goodies
Some people can’t let a fall season pass without tasting a caramel apple or popcorn ball. What is your favorite nostalgic fall treat? Reserve one weekend night to make some fall goodies. You might as well make it a party while you’re at it, even if it’s just your family. The kids will need to play a few games to work off the sugar high.
Your small town or urban village probably has its own unique way of celebrating the season. Take advantage of the community you are in, or take a weekend trip and enjoy a fall color drive. It’s a great time of year to lead your children into the appreciation of the beauty of nature and the wonder of the changing seasons.