I love fall, I really do. Not in a Pumpkin Spice Latte (I’m more of a Salted Caramel Mocha girl anyway), bust out the boots and sweaters kind of love. But the way the seasons move and change, I love noticing how one day the wind is cooler, the ground crunches with leaves, and the air smells different.
With the autumn equinox I feel I’ve been granted permission to bake an apple pie and start pulling out soup recipes again–to slow down. (Oh, how I love my Dutch oven!) Even if the weather is still warm, fall marks a definite march away from the sweltering Southern humidity and I can rest assured cooler weather and calmer days are coming. For me, fall is a chance to breathe after a whirlwind of summer activities.
I know some places in the U.S. are already nestled in their sweaters, while others are sweltering in the hottest month of the year. We had a beautiful, cool (in the 60’s), windows open first week of fall. Now, a few weeks later, it’s in the 80’s again. It won’t last. Promise.
Even when it doesn’t feel like fall, you can still welcome fall and beckon it’s reprieve with these simple and fun activities:
10 Ways to Welcome Fall
1. Check out seasonal books from the library. A few of our favorites are: The Wonders of the Seasons
2. Make your first soup of the season. This year’s was a Butternut Squash Cocoa Chili. Easier and tastier than it sounds. Plus it’s crockpot friendly!
3. Light a scented candle. This year’s came from TJ Maxx. And actually smells like pumpkin. Win-win.
4. Go apple picking. Last year we took the whole family apple picking during our local orchard’s Johnny Appleseed festival. It was a lot of fun. This year I was so on top of things, we got to the counter to get our U-pick bags and found out picking season ended the weekend before. Go, mom! Oh, well. We got our apple donuts and hard cider, then ended up seeing two roosters fight. Not all was lost.
Also, babies grow. 🙁
5. Take a nature walk. The easiest activity on the list. Other than #8. If you’re near a state park, woods, or a walking trail meander there. If the only place close by is a city park, or even your street, then do it! If you look closely, you’ll still be able to notice the little ways the seasons are changing.
6. Gather leaves for an art project. Last year we painted magnolia leaves and made leaf imprints/shadings. This year we’re going to try The Artful Parent’s leaf banner.
7. Bake a pumpkin or apple treat. Pumpkin muffins and apple pie are our go to recipes.
8. Open your windows. On those first few days when the weather drops into the 70’s, turn off the A/C and get a good breeze flowing through your house.
9 . Read outside. Just keeping it simple. Necessities: a book, you, the kids (maybe just you? lucky), a blanket if you’re not a fan of the grass. Easy, peasy.
10. Memorize a fall poem. This year we’re memorizing a short little poem by George Eliot,
“Come said the wind to the leaves one day,
Come o’er the meadow and we will play,
Put on your dresses of scarlet and gold.
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”
(You can find the poem as a printable from On Sutton Place.)
What are some of your favorite fall activities?
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