Cooler weather, the return to school and the end of summer can make fall feel like the end of fun. Those looking for fall activities and things to do with kids, can still find much in store with seasonal pursuits. Here are five family activities geared toward fall.
Take a Hike
Watch the seasonal leaves change and enjoy the cooler weather by planning a family day hike. Check for trails in local town parks geared for beginner to intermediate walkers and hikers, or for those who live near mountainous regions, check out trails geared toward the more experienced.
For a more adventurous family activity, try going geocaching. Geocaches are hidden containers that are searched out with coordinates left by those who placed it, and a GPS device. Often these containers will contain small objects, toys and collectibles left behind by previous families. Leave something new behind to help fuel the fun and be part of the experience. Photograph and share the experience with others online at the end, leaving details about how easy or difficult it was to find the geocache, or create and hide one for others to find. Geocaches are located in all areas, and this fun activity can help bring families and communities together. Check the official geocaching website to get coordinates nearby.
To make it a day event, pack plenty of water, snacks and a picnic lunch to enjoy on the way. Be sure to pick up before going, and leave the trails clean for the next hiking family to enjoy.
Pick Your Own
Head to an apple orchard or a pumpkin patch to "pick your own" seasonal fruit. Many local farms will also sell cider, snacks, have corn mazes and small petting zoos as well, making it a fun trip for the whole family.
Upon returning home, carve up the pumpkins for jack o’ lanterns and don’t forget to roast the seeds. For a fun decoration and further activity, make dried apple heads from orchard apples. Peel the apples, and carve faces and expressions into them. Paint them thoroughly with apple vinegar and let dry in the sun. The apples will wrinkle up into expressive faces that can be used for decoration. Place these heads on popsicle sticks and decorate with cotton balls and doll clothing to make puppets, or hide them on and around the front porch to surprise coming Trick or Treater's.
Go Gravestone Rubbing
Take large sheets of newsprint, masking tape and crayons to the local cemetery for gravestone rubbing. Tape the newsprint to the front of a gravestone, and gently rub the surface with the side of the crayon to transfer the images and words from the stone to the paper for unique works of art and historical preservation.
Be sure to check with cemetery officials before beginning, avoid cracked or broken markers, and be sure to clean up before leaving. Don’t use magic markers or colored paper that could possibly stain or leave marks behind on the gravestones, and leave these monuments the way they were found. For more information and tips on rubbing do's and don'ts visit the Association for Gravestone Studies.
Make Caramel Apples
For an easy caramel apple recipe, take apples picked at the local orchard, purchased at a farm stand or grocery store (if using grocery store apples, dip them quickly in boiling water and then wipe clean to remove wax that can keep caramel from sticking) popsicle sticks, toppings like chocolate candies, coconut or candy corn, and a large bag of caramel candies.
Melt the caramels over a low flame with a few teaspoons of milk until smooth. Check apples for bruises and blemishes, and insert popsicle sticks into their bottoms. When the caramel is melted, set the pot in a second, larger pot of boiling water to keep it soft (remove the second pot from the stove for this next step, but return it if the caramel begins to harden and cool), and dip the apples in. Spoon extra caramel over them for good coverage, and then roll in other toppings, if desired, before placing upside down on wax paper to cool. Remember to work quickly, before the caramel cools, to ensure good coverage and even distribution of caramel and toppings.
Host a Leaf Raking Party
If the family yard is covered in leaves, host a leave raking party for friends and family. Serve cider, cookies and apples and hold competitions for the largest leaf pile, or the best scarecrow, made of old clothes. Block parties can be held with others in the neighborhood to share the fun. Get a permit from the local police station to close a street off for the day and organize games and contests. If close to Halloween, organize a costume contest, pumpkin carving, or dried apple head competitions, and clear the street of leaves as well.
Alternatively, make a scarecrow family with raked leaves, having each family member contribute some old clothes and create their likeness for the front lawn. Finish off with a family photo, posing with the doppelgangers.
Fall is a great season for outdoor fun, so be sure to get out and enjoy it as a family today
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