Autumn Activities

Autumn’s in the air–what can you do to embrace the season?

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Sunlight sparkles through the crisp leaves. Foliage on the ground begs to be crunched by busy boots and shoes.

If you need ideas for some Autumn fun, whether  indoor or outdoor activities, keep reading! The kids have been back in school for over a month, and there is a certain crispness in the air. Front yards and porches abound with straw bales, pumpkins, and colorful mums. Friendly scarecrows peek around corn stalks to greet passing strangers. Autumn activities are plentiful and diverse here in the U.S.A, let’s take a gander at the hustle and bustle of fall!

Berries, leaves, sticks and flowers add interest to doors and windows. Frost feels like just around the corner when one sees swirly sticks with muted fall tone foliage.

Autumn is a favorite time of year for many, but sometimes Mother Nature has other ideas, so let’s look at indoor activities for fall. First, is carving pumpkins. Roasting pumpkin seeds can be a messy activity, but with some newspaper, masking tape and a trash bag, things should not be too bad, and the kids love it.  Baking is another popular pastime in the fall. Pumpkin bread, pie and custard are great picks! Applesauce, pie, and strudel also make for sweet treats. Another, less popular indoor activity is candle-making. Although it requires a lot of adult supervision, children of all ages find this activity to be truly enjoyable.

When Mother Nature gives us good weather, outdoor activities in fall are a great bet for the whole family!  Go apple picking (combine with your indoor apple baking ideas), go for a hike or a long walk. Not your cup of tea? Try picking your own pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, get lost in a corn maze or go on a scary hayride. Many farms have festivals in the fall. These lively soirees can include bounce houses, tie obstacle courses, lots of food and homemade fare, even live music, and dancing. Try your hand at scarecrow making. For those who love sports, try a game of touch football, have some relay races or a friendly game of cornhole.

To get into the fall spirit, use colorful décor. Fall flowers, pumpkins, pinecones, and critters create an atmosphere of autumn. Yellows, oranges, bronzes, and browns cozy things up. 

Another all-time autumn favorite for the great outdoors…can you guess? Raking dried leaves into big piles and jumping in them!  Talk to just about anyone about this and you will get misty eyed memories from years gone by.

Whether inside or out, you can also make s’mores and enjoy!  Another idea is to make a list of everything that you are thankful for (a great reminder activity for teens).  Collect leaves and create a fall leaf album.  Why not try tailgating at a local high school football game, take some of the pumpkin bread you made on a not so nice day?  You could also try taking care of our outdoor friends by making a pinecone bird feeder, with peanut butter, birdseed and a pretty fall colored ribbon.  How about making a big batch of chili and hosting a Sunday football party to cheer on your favorite team!  Finally on our list……organize a Halloween costume party, complete with Halloween themed snacks and refreshments.

Autumn is a favorite time of year, and with an enormous variety of activities there is truly something for everyone. Whether you like being indoors, outdoors, or a combination of both, you won’t be disappointed.