Top 10 FALL Family Activities

I love Fall. I think it is my favorite season! I love the changing of the leaves and the cooling of the winds and how everything just seems to be calming down. I also love wearing pants and long sleeved sweaters... (and every girl has to get new sweaters each fall, and that may be my real love with this season ☻)

Anyway, I was checking out some awesome things to do in the fall season and thought I would give you a little preview:

 1. Fall Festivals : these normally vary by area but in Topeka,KS we have Cider Days and the Apple Festival.

 2. Pumpkin Patch/Apple Orchard : super fun times for kids to go out and see how pumpkins/apples grow and be harvesters. There are also normally lots of other activities there, like hay rides, corn mazes, 4H galleries, and fresh kettle corn and cider at the Pumpkin Patch.

 3. Haunted Houses : there are many varieties of these...hardly scary, kinda scary, and pee your pants scary! I personally don't go to the pee your pants kind cuz, well, it is just too easy to get me to pee my pants now a days! So, I stick to the hardly or kinda scary. You can find these kind at Pumpkin Patches, Churches, or other kid friendly community areas.

 4. Boo at the Zoo : now I am not sure about other cities but our Zoo in Topeka puts on this Halloween activity every year for kids and parents to come to the zoo and see the animals, do simple crafts, meet local famous people (like the local weather person!) and get candy. Check your local Zoo too.

 5. Picnic : many people think of summer time as picnic time but I love a good family outing in the fall. Less bugs, cooler temperatures, and you want to spend more time outside because it is just so nice! Many times I don't even make it complicated...pack up the fam., put a blanket in the car, go to a drive through of you favorite take out place and eat dinner at the park. (my son LOVES these kids - husband included in that # -of dinners)

 6. Family Photos : this is a great time to think about family photos for Christmas greeting cards or end of the year and news letters (cuz really, who whats to read your news letter if they don't get to see a current photo too...) Even if you don't go to a professional, make a date with another family and take each other's photos. Then follow it up with a picnic (look at that, activity combo!)

 7. Outside Movie : if you are lucky enough to have a projector...hang up a sheet outside and project your favorite movie on to it. Make some carmel popcorn balls and hot apple cider for snacks and have everyone bring out their blankets. If you don't have a projector, move your TV to the closet window and watch from the outside in. (this might require you to clean your windows...) Or, play the movie on a laptop. Get creative!

 8. Family Planting : with the changes of the seasons comes a whole new set of garden possibilities. Go to your local garden store and pick out some fall flowers like mums. Then bring them home and plant them.

 9. Decorate : there are lots of fun, easy things that you and your kids can make to decorate the inside and outside of your home for the upcoming holidays. Begin with Halloween and start a tradition of making and putting up the decorations together.

 10. Nature Scavenger Hunt : create your own kind of scavenger hunt filled with things that your family would love. It could be themed, like a treasure hunt, or just as simple as finding and naming plants and animals in nature.

Regardless of which of these you choose to do this year, take time to enjoy nature! Don't forget to take a deep breath and spin around under falling leaves. Winter comes quickly.