Fun Activities to do with the Kids this Fall

I know I owe a bunch of updates, photos and quips about the Mishchiefmakers. I've been archiving them and plan to post them soon! In the meantime, check out these great tips about exploring fall sent to me from my friends at the National Children's Museum.

What does your family associate with fall? NCM offers these sensory based tips to explore the signs of fall:

SIGHT

Color Walk. Use colored pencils to draw a beautiful array fall colors or take photos of the fall leaves. Make a fall colors collage or a “leaf rainbow” by collecting as many leaves as you can find that match the colors of the rainbow. Cut a white paper plate in half and glue on your leaves in a rainbow shape.

Masking Tape Bracelets. Collect signs of fall by cutting a piece of masking tape and putting it on your wrist with the sticky side facing out. Use this to stick any natural items that you find on your walk, such as seeds or leaves.

SOUND

Listen Up. Go outside and listen for the sounds of fall, such as the crisp sound of crunching leaves, the honking of Canadian geese flying south, or a crackling fire in a fireplace. Compare summer noises to those in the fall.

SMELL

Apple Cinnamon Decorations. Mix equal parts of applesauce and cinnamon until it makes a dough. Roll out the dough and cut into fall shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole in the top of each shape with a straw and let dry for 24 hours until hard.

Fall Smells Scavenger Hunt. Go on a family walk and try to recognize these fall smells: pumpkins singed from Halloween candles, the sweet smell of wet leaves on a warm fall day, and the smell of wood smoke from chimneys. 

TASTE

Apple Sampler. Pick apples, make an apple pie, try making homemade applesauce, sip warm apple cider, make a pumpkin pie, or try making dried apple slices for snacks. 

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. With adult supervision, preheat the oven to 300°. Toss 1 ½ cup raw, whole pumpkin seeds in a bowl with 2 tsp. melted butter and a pinch of salt. Spread seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

TOUCH

Play in Leaves. Jump over or into a pile of leaves. Make a leaf trail for others to follow. Make a leaf maze by piling leaves into paths and bike or walk the maze. Throw a bunch of leaves into the air and try to catch them as they float to the ground.

Pumpkin Roll. Use two large pumpkins and two sturdy sticks to roll the pumpkins on their sides in a race to the finish line. The first kid across the finis.

We're going Apple picking this Sunday so we're off to a good start incorporating some of these tips!