Fall is such a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors—and embrace the indoors! Whether your family likes to get up a game of football before a snooze and a snack, or if you’re more about baking and decorating, crafting and movies, there’s something for everyone to enjoy when the first chill of fall comes around.
Like what?
Visit a pumpkin patch or apple orchard — nothing says fall like picking out your seasonal gourds for decorating the house inside and out. Don’t forget to save the seeds to roast in the oven: they make a yummy snack! Fresh apples—and pies that you can make with them—are worth the trip to the orchard to pick them yourselves. Maybe you can swing in a hayride while you’re out there!
Jump into a pile of leaves — there’s nothing better than the crunch and crackle of a great big pile of leaves that someone else just raked up! Then everyone can help rake them up again for another round of jumping good fun!
Set up a bonfire and s’mores — with the cool evenings, there’s nothing better than getting dressed in the warm and fuzzies, setting up a bonfire and roasting marshmallows for s’mores. Tell campfire stories with a spooky theme: the creepy factor is so much better with the crackle of flames and the darkness beyond. When everyone’s tired of the great outdoors, you can move the party inside and watch a scary movie!
Get lost in a corn maze — this is seriously good fun for the whole family! Set up a prize for the one who gets out first! And don’t forget to pick up some corn to either boil or roast at home, for a taste of the season with your dinner.
Check out a local fall festival — farm visits and fall festivals abound, with livestock competitions, petting zoos, rides, games and candy floss. Who wouldn’t be up for that?
Take a leaf peeping hike — what’s better than a trip to the countryside to see all the changing leaves? Whether a state park, or just your local hiking trails, going out and collecting some fine leaf specimens, pine cones and more can help when you want to decorate your house a little with all the finery that fall has to offer. Imagine your Thanksgiving centerpiece decorated with pine cones dipped in gold paint, beautiful leaves and a garland or two of pine bough!
Build a scarecrow — if decorating your house is your thing, whether for Hallowe’en or just for fall, the best addition, particularly if you have a porch, is to build an epic scarecrow and put him outside to greet visitors! Whether you make him spooky or just cute in overalls and a hat, it’s a fun way to spend the day.
Make candy apples — nothing says fall like apples coated with candy or caramel. They even smell like autumn! And at least the kids are getting some fruit in them, right? If candy apples aren’t your thing, any kind of fall baking, with the fragrance of pumpkin spice, allspice, clove and cinnamon in the air, is a good way to spend an afternoon.
Set up a playground playdate picnic — with snow around the corner, getting in one last playground visit with friends and family is a great way to celebrate the season. Turn it into a cool weather fall celebration picnic with cocoa, an old fashioned apple bobbing contest and lots of yummy pumpkin spice flavored treats! Add a scavenger hunt or a rousing game of touch football for extra excitement and to make sure the sugar from all those treats gets used up!
Visit a haunted house — professionally designed haunted houses are is best with the older kids, but you can get your ghoul on with the littles by turning your own front yard, porch or garage into a haunted house! Keep it going until Hallowe’en so that all your neighbors and friends can enjoy it too!
Whatever you choose, make some memories with your family and friends this fall. You’ll cherish them all winter long.
Bio:
Rhianna Miller is the playground design and safety expert at http://rubbermulch.com/ , the original and environmentally responsible mulch made from 100% recycled rubber used in gardens, playgrounds and sustainable landscaping. Rubber Mulch is weather resistant, durable, and the most cost effective mulch around and is specifically designed to protect children from falls on the playground.
