Do you feel that? Can you smell it? Yup, Fall is in the air! Ahhhh…I love Fall. It’s definitely my favorite time of year. I love that it begins to get cooler out, but not too cool, oh and here in our area, it means that those dreaded mosquitoes go away too! Summer is nice, yes I agree, but sometimes it’s just a bit too hot to be outside. Now Autumn and it’s crisp, fresh air, is the PERFECT time to be outside!
Being outside and exploring the change of the season allows for lots of family fun to be had, and much of that fun can be virtually free! Here are a few of our favorites…Get outside, go for a hike (for free!)…
There is nothing like a beautiful fall hike to stretch your legs and take in the changing colors of the trees.
Go apple picking (low cost, since you are the labor!)… Apple picking has always been one of my favorite fall things to do! I’m not sure much tastes better in the fall than a freshly picked apple!
Well, perhaps maybe, freshly made, warm out of the pot applesauce (low cost and delicious!)… Making applesauce is surprisingly simple, all you need are apples, a bit of water, maybe cinnamon and a pot…YUM! Here are ten more delicious apple recipes to make with your apple picking haul.
Get your heart pumping and rake some leaves…but then, act like a child and jump into a big pile! (free and freeing!) And, lastly, another favorite of ours, collecting acorn caps (free and addicting!)…
Seriously, we just can’t seem to stop! So far we’ve come up with some pretty fun crafty uses for our acorn caps and acorns… But why not use those acorn caps for some fun and games too! Make your own Fall Festival games!
Pack a clear jar with acorn caps and play…Guess how many acorn caps! Use this guess the acorn cap printable to print out your own “ballots” and get the family guessing…
Or use your acorns and caps to play acorn toss (another little printable…plus, use these Squirrels to guard the bucket, mine are black, because we have black squirrels around here…)
This game is sure to bring lots of silly cheers and nonsense! Using a galvanized bucket is a fun bonus, the “Pling” in the bucket is a great sound!
And last, but not least…use tops up or bottoms up of your caps to play an outdoor game of tic-tac-toe… I hope you take some time to get outside, breath fresh air, be a little bit silly with the family and enjoy the Gift of Fall!
And, if you are looking for some fun of the crafty variety…check out these nature inspired Fall crafts.
Okay, I’m feeling good about this fall. We’ve done all of them except acorn cap games. 🙂 We do collect acorns and make acorn flour to bake with, though, and that’s a favorite fall tradition here (the smell is so heavenly!). (Here’s how we do it http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-make-acorn-flour).
We love hiking, apple picking (we get them free from friends who don’t spray and don’t use their apples), applesauce, apple cider, hiking….
I am not a fan of winter because it means such cold here in Minnesota but there certainly is a lot of magic in fall. 🙂