Summer always seems to be jam packed full of activities from Little League games and swimming lessons to camping and road trips. Once fall arrives, life often returns to the regular hum drum schedule and families often forget to indulge in a little quality time. Want to get out and enjoy the new season with your family? Here are some family friendly activities to consider:
The Great Outdoors
Autumn is a great time to get outdoors. Not only are the temperatures more comfortable, but the pesky mosquitos and other bugs are less likely to be a fun killer, so turn off the air conditioning and crack the windows open. Even if you can’t take a week off to go camping, check out your local campground or the state park nearby and set up tent for a night or two. Nothing is more enjoyable than the warmth of a campfire on a crisp fall evening. If setting up a tent sounds like too much work, consider renting out a cabin and get in touch with nature. Go on a hike, check out the fall colors, or even have some family fun and get the yard ready for winter. Don’t forget, when raking leaves into big piles, to stop and enjoy jumping into the mountain of leaves.
A Family That Crafts Together
You don’t need a lot of money or even be artistically inclined to enjoy the art of crafting. Become inspired by nature and the fall colors to decorate your home. Decorate the entryway of your home with gourds, pumpkins, dried corn stalks, or make an autumn inspired wreath. Learn how to knit just in time to bundle up for cooler weather or to make scarves for friends and family. Want to make sure everyone has a good time and gets involved? Have everyone in the family choose a craft that he or she would like to do and let him or her instruct the rest of the family through the project.
Apples and Pumpkins A Plenty
Other than piles of colorful leaves, what says “autumn” more than apples and pumpkins? Whether you spend the day picking apples at a local orchard or harvest from your own tree, enjoy the fruits of your labor by baking some classic apple dishes such as apple pie, apple crisp, or enjoy a warm glass of cider. While you and the family are filling up your bushel basket full of apples, don’t forget to select the perfect pumpkin to carve your jack o’ lantern. One plus of places where you can pick your own apples and pumpkins? There’s usually an opportunity to go on a hayride, work as a team through a corn maze, or even attend a fall festival.
Get Ready for Halloween
For many families, Halloween, is a much anticipated holiday. Rather than sending the kids out to trick or treat alone, consider dressing up as a group of superheroes or characters from your favorite sitcom. Like to indulge in a little fright? Why not volunteer at a haunted hayride or build your own haunted house for people in your neighborhood? If you decide to make your own haunted abode, make sure that you’ve created an attraction that is free from hazards that may cause a personal injury, but don’t skimp on the scares!
