Fall into Fun
by Kate Wicker in Homemaking on Thursday, September 10, 2009 6:00 AM
I love fall.
To me, the season has always felt more like the start of the year than dark, dreary, and cold January. When the calendar hits September – wham! – the idleness of summer is behind me. I feel like my slate has been wiped clean, and there’s so much promise for good things to come – academically or otherwise.
Fall is not a season to be missed. It’s a season to be savored. No matter that the mercury has yet to drop Down South where I live, I’m already pulling out the sweaters and turtlenecks, the tweeds and the corduroy. I’m dreaming of hitting the great outdoors and delighting in the brilliant blue skies and the briskness of fall (humidity, be gone!).
Ready to herald in the autumn? Here I share a few of my family’s favorite ways to jumpstart fall frolic (leaf pile not included):
1. Pick some apples. Most orchards’ seasons begin in August and run through October or November. Find a nearby orchard here. Once you have your bushel of apples, make some super easy, homemade applesauce.
2. Get lost in a corn maze. This has become an annual tradition for us. We usually don’t complete the entire maze given the age of our kids, but we enjoy spending time outdoors, and my older girls think it’s a great adventure to get lost’ in the towering stalks of corn. Find a maze near you here.
3. Bake pumpkin-themed dishes with the kids. Nothing says fall like the taste of spiced pumpkin. It’s good for you, too. Pumpkin is packed with vitamins A and C and is a good source of iron. (See links to some of my family’s favorite pumpkin recipes below.) Pumpkin seeds are bursting with health benefits as well. After scooping seeds out of your family’s jack-‘o -lantern, toss them in olive oil and sea salt and then bake them in a shallow pan at 300º for 30 to 40 minutes for a delicious snack.
4. Collect colorful leaves. Don’t let this golden season slip by without appreciating God’s colorful handiwork. While roaming the wild (or your backyard), encourage kids to collect fall foliage of all colors. Once home, transform the leaves into critters. Or stick with the old standby and make leaf rubbings.
5. Catch a family flick. Host a family movie night as the days get shorter. Check out the USCCB’s Office for Film and Broadcasting’s movie reviews.
6. Start planning now for All Saints Day. Every year my homeschooling co-op hosts an All Saints Day party where our children parade around as their favorite friends of Christ. And every year I’m combing our saint books and haphazardly piecing together appropriate costumes the night before the scheduled event. Not this year. I’ve already started thinking of potential saintly garb. Want to join me? This old Faith & Family resource will help.
7. Take a hike. My family loves going on easy hikes together on Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons after Mass. To find hiking trails in your region, check out Trail Link or visit the National Park Service’s website. Before hitting the trails, visit eNature. The site includes online field guides as well as comprehensive park guides to over 300 national parks and wildlife refuges. Before your hike, plan a scavenger hunt for your family. Make a list of natural artifacts (draw pictures of the items for little ones) to find like a maple leaf, a white flower, a big and small pinecone, a smooth pebble, etc. Or consider giving GPS-inspired treasure hunts known as Geocaching a try.
8. Pray a family Rosary. On the first brisk fall night, gather together to sip cider or hot cocoa, talk, and pray.
9. Dress your home up for fall. Place freshly chopped logs in the hearth. They give the impression that at any moment, if a chill is in the air, you could light a match to it. If your fireplace isn’t functional like mine, consider filling the space with candles of different sizes. Display tall autumn candles scented with cinnamon or pumpkin spice with shorter evergreen candles that smell of pine forests. Parade a basket filled with all those pinecones you collected during your nature hikes. Update your flower arrangements to match the season. Mums are perfect, inexpensive fall flora. They also come in lovely fall colors – mauve, yellow and crimson. Arrange them in a vase or place them in containers on your porch. Keep them watered and in sunlight.
10. Play with the pigskin. Fall means football to a lot of folks, so why not enjoy your own pick-me-up game of football with family and friends? We don’t play official games around my home yet, but plenty of giggles ensue from my little ones when we toss around a Nerf football and I fumble the football, pretending (or not) to have a bad case of butterfingers.
How about you? What are your favorite ways to mark the season?
-— Kate Wicker enjoys fall from her home in Georgia. She blogs at KateWicker.com.
Resources:
- Catholic Traditions In The Home And Classrooms: 365 Days To Celebrate A Catholic Year
- Fall Crafts
- Penne with Pumpkin
- Basic Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Scones
image: Madeline Wicker picks a perfect pumpkin
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