Well, it's finally here! Autumn! In all of it's splendor!
I simply love this time of the year and all that it has to offer!
The colors of the leaves, the smell in the air, the foods and drinks associated with the season. Warm, spicy aromas filling the house from baking, soups, or fall-scented candles!
I love cuddling under a warm blanket and reading a good book/books! Wearing warm sweatshirts and hoodies. Taking nature walks with the kiddos. Journaling what we see. Leaf collections, or rubbings. Apple tasting is fun! An autumn unit study is fun and can be as extensive as you want it to be. You can focus on so many various things, be it weather, trees, apples, pumpkins, animals, birds, migration, hibernation, football, pilgrims and Indians, leaves, autumn around the world, nocturnal animals, etc. There are a plethora of books to choose from covering all of the above topics and just simply "fun" autumn books that aren't really focusing on anything in particular, that we've read again and again.
I love going to fall festivals. There's the annual Pumpkin Festival we go to each year in our state. We also enjoy going to the Bob Evans Fall Festival each year.
Carving pumpkins is a family favorite too! Making apple butter and hot mulled cider! YUM! I'm not really a fan of football, so that's not something you'll see on the television in our house too often. I do love Halloween, and so do my kids. So many parents are against this holiday, as they associate it with evilness. I know that all holidays can go either way. You can make it whatever you want. It can be innocent. We have lots of fun trick or treating and going through our candy when we get home! The best part is designing our costumes! Decorating the house is a must. My house is totally "autumned out" right now! I have orange lights strung in every room. Leaf garland, hay bales, scarecrows, pumpkins, crows, candles, vases filled with colorful leaves, owls, etc.
We have a lot of fun visiting our local state forest/park and walking on their various trails and taking pictures!
We usually pack a picnic lunch and sit under a big tree on a bench and enjoy the sights and sounds all around us while we eat. Then the kids pile up the leaves and jump in them until it's finally time to pack up the van and go home.
The girls always pick out a pumpkin of their own and carve it close to Halloween. I like sitting them around the house beside pots of mums on the porch until then.
We have so much fun learning together during ALL seasons, but it seems we tend to enjoy autumn and winter (Christmas) best.
If you wish to have a list of the fall books/poems/resources I've read/used in our home, comment below and I will send you a list, or a link of my listmania list on Amazon of "Favorite Fall Books".
HAPPY FALL YA'LL!
