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I love spending time with my family outside of the house, or doing pre-planned, simple, fun activities. It breaks up the monotony of being a stay-at-home-mom. Being a chef and chauffeur gets a little BORING and EXHAUSTING sometimes. So this year I decided to make my Autumn Bucket List: Kid Friendly (which you can download at the bottom of the page), because I just LOVE this time of year.
It is by far my favorite season.
I love the crisp, cool weather. I love the smells: pumpkin, cinnamon, apple. And, I love the colors: orange, yellow, red. There is so much beauty to be seen this time of year as the leaves change colors and begin to fall. The heat of summer is gone but the frigid coldness of winter has yet to arrive, making it the perfect time of year to spend the days and evening outside.
So, I came up with all the things I would love to do with the husband and kids this season and put them together on my list. And it’s manageable enough I think we will actually be able to accomplish them all. And even though the list is kid/family friendly, I just might leave the kids with a sitter and do one or two of these for date night.
So, what’s on my Autumn Bucket List?
Visit a Pumpkin Patch.
This is one of my kids favorite activities. They love to run through the pumpkin patch and look at all the different pumpkins. The orange ones, the white ones, the warty ones, the misshapen ones. And they feel so special when they get to pick out there very own to take home. This is definitely a must-do activity every year before Halloween.
Carve a Pumpkin.
After your visit to the Pumpkin Patch it’s time for some carving. I love carving pumpkins! It’s always been my favorite pre-Halloween activity. There’s something about cleaning out the inside and getting your hands all messy that I just find so gratifying. If you don’t want to free-hand a design, check out The Spruce Crafts for some awesome, free pumpkin carving templates.
Roast Pumpkin Seeds.
What do you do with all those seeds you pull out of the pumpkin when carving it? Roast them of coarse. You can make them salty, spicy, sweet, or any combination. Learn how to roast them and try out some great flavoring recipes on Wholefully.
Paint a Pumpkin.
If your not into playing with pumpkin guts, you can always just paint a pumpkin instead. It’s still messy with kids, but a different kind of messy.
Make a Pumpkin Treat.
I love both baking and cooking with pumpkin. You can make pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, and so many more things with pumpkin. I also love putting it in savory dishes. My all time favorite is this Enchilada Soup with pumpkin in it. It may not be sweet, but for me it’s such a treat on a cool fall day.
Visit a Corn Maze.
Oh the childhood memories of being lost in a corn maze, wondering if I was ever going to make it out. Wondering if I should keep on the path or start trekking though the rows, squeezing between the corn stalks. I always made it out… eventually. And only cheated once or twice. But they are fond memories that have stuck with me, and to this day I love me a good corn maze that again threatens to leave me lost with the fear of spending the night among the stalks.
Have a Bonfire with S’mores.
We crossed this one off the bucket list this past weekend. We used our backyard firepit, on our newly finished patio and invited the neighbors over for some evening s’mores around the fire. The chocolatey, marshmallowy goodness was enjoyed by all, adults and youngsters alike. I’m looking forward to several more bonfire and s’more adventures in the upcoming weeks.
Bake an Apple Pie.
Growing up we always had apple trees in our backyard and my grandpa owned an apple orchard. So I grew up harvesting apples in the fall, pressing them into apple cider, and making all things apple. I just love the smell of a fresh baked apple pie. It fills the house with a smell of yummy goodness. So dig out your favorite apple pie recipe and get baking, but don’t forget to include the whole family. My kids love helping me to roll out the pie crust and dump in the filling.
Make Caramel Apples.
Caramel Apples are the perfect fall treat. Fresh apples, sticky caramel, and the toppings. You can cover them with just about anything you can dream up. Check out Always the Holidays for delicious caramel apple topping ideas, including some “spooky caramel apples” that are perfect for Halloween. They look like they were created by the Evil Queen just for Snow White.
Go Trick-or-Treating.
This is definitely more of a “kid” activity. But I always find it fun to dress up with them. There are so many safe ways to go trick-or-treating if you aren’t a fan of the door-to-door method. There are always trunk-or-treats to be found at most churches, our city does trick-or-treating around the city center plaza with local businesses represented. Even my child’s school is doing a trunk-or-treat this year. But you may be thinking, what about the candy? If you are like me, you agree that Halloween leaves us with entirely too much sugar for anyone, especially our little ones. My kiddos get a few pieces and the rest goes in the freezer to be rationed out. It’s usually forgotten about and used for homemade ice-cream or other baked treats throughout the year.
Have a Harry Potter Marathon.
For some reason, some people think of the Harry Potter movies as Christmas movies. Not me? They are perfect for the autumn season. This is a yearly tradition for me that I hope to share with my kids as they get older. I think 5 is still a little young to watch these, especially since they get darker as the series goes on. But someday I will get to share my Harry Potter love with my kiddos.
Go on a Nature Hike.
There’s something about the leaves changing colors that just brings peace to my soul. And fall weather is perfect for a hike in nature. So go out and enjoy some fresh air as a family this fall. Whether you take a strenuous hike or a stroll through the neighborhood is completely up to you. But get outside and enjoy all the beauty this wonderful world has to offer.
Go on a Fall Scavenger Hunt.
I try to take my kiddos on daily walks and I’ve found that scavenger hunts really keep them engaged. We don’t do them very often, but when we do they absolutely love them. We’ve done sound scavenger hunts, where they have to listen for specific noises. We’ve done smell scavenger hunts. And of course sight ones always keep them searching. I created this Fall Scavenger Hunt that can be completed on a nature hike, or just around your neighborhood.
Jump in a Pile of Leaves.
In the fall my yard is constantly covered in leaves. I honestly think that we have more leaves in our yard then the neighbors, and they have the trees. There isn’t a single tree in my backyard, yet somehow we get all the leaves. Raking them all up isn’t my favorite chore, but I can’t resist raking them into one gigantic pile and letting the kids jump in them and throw them around. I’ve been known to join in on the fun and jump in right with them.
Create a Leaf Craft.
Let your little ones use nature to create some amazing art projects. There are so many ideas to be found on the internet. My favorite to do with my kids are leaf rubbings like these found on Creative Chicks. I also like using leaves as stamps for leaf paintings or gluing leaves on paper and making leaf collages.
Complete a Family Fun Run or Turkey Trot.
We try to be a pretty active family. I remember the first 5K I ran with my oldest two in the jogging stroller. They were so excited to cross the finish line and made me stop so they could run across it on their own. The next year all the races went virtual due to COVID-19 and this year they are virtual again. But that doesn’t mean we still can’t get out their and complete the race as a family. I’m really hoping to participate in the Wonder Woman Virtual Race this fall. It benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Childhood Cancer Research which is very near and dear to my heart. They also have a Batman and a Superman version. And the swag looks incredible.
Take Family Pictures.
I think fall is the perfect time for family pictures. The colors make for a beautiful, natural backdrop. It’s not freezing cold yet, so pictures can still be taken without red faces and runny noses. Fall family pictures also allow you to have an updated picture for those Christmas cards that need to be created and sent out during the end of fall in order for them to arrive in time for the holidays. I’m currently in the process of getting our family pictures scheduled. I didn’t realize how busy I would be this fall now that my oldest in in kindergarten and playing fall soccer.
So, that’s it for my bucket list. Let me know what your favorite fall activities are. Are they different from the ones on my list? I’m always willing to try new things and add new seasonal favorites to my list.
