Summer may be seen as the outdoor season, but autumn also offers lots of opportunities for outdoor fun. Try some of these family activities, and fill your kids’senses with delight.
Enjoy a color tour. Provincial and National Parks in Alberta are the places to be in the Fall. Contact Alberta National or Provincial Parks and find out when Fall colors will be at their peak and recommended routes for picturesque views.
Host a campfire cookout. If outdoor fires are permitted in your area, have the kids round up neighborhood friends for a cookout. Hot dogs, hot chocolate, marshmallows and s’mores are a traditional way to top off the season. Have everyone take turns telling stories around the campfire. If you have little ones, check out library books with autumn themes to read to the youngsters.
Attend a football game. Gather your blankets and head to the stadium! Football games are great fun for kids and parents alike. Cheer on your team and snuggle up when the temperature starts to dip.
Visit a U-Pick. Take your kids fruit picking, and top off the day with cider and doughnuts, a hayride and end-of-the-year picnic.
Make a scarecrow. What’s Fall without a scarecrow on your porch? It is so easy to make. Just buy a couple bails of straw; then have each family member gather some old clothes and hats. Stuff it using string to tie off the hands, feet and head.
Leaf fun. Remember as a kid diving into the crisp Fall leaves? Grab the rakes and have your youngsters pitch in. Pile up the leaves to jump in, build a fort and even have a leaf fight.
Festivals and spooktacular events! Pumpkin, Fall harvest, Halloween and many more events abound in this great city featuring food, arts & crafts, kids’games, pony and wagon rides, pumpkin picking and more! For a complete list of events, visit the Calgary’s Child calendar of events online, calgaryschild.com/calendar.
Visit a pumpkin patch. Begin a family tradition of picking your pumpkins from a patch. After cleaning out the pumpkins, make roasted pumpkin seeds, a yummy treat that kids love. Rinse the seeds, pat them dry and coat with melted butter. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake at 350°F until golden brown. Be sure and stir them occasionally.
Maneuver through a cornfield maze. Kids delight in finding their way through cornfield mazes.
Take a railroad excursion. With the colors of autumn blazing under bright blue skies, a scenic railroad excursion is a sure bet. Check your local travel agency for excursions nearby.
Hold a pumpkin sale. If you have little entrepreneurs, have them set up a pumpkin stand in your front yard. Have your kids purchase a small stock of pumpkins to sell. Hot cocoa, baked pumpkin seeds or doughnuts make good commercial additions to the stand.
Horseback rides. Head to the stables and enjoy the Fall colors on horseback.
Make a bird feeder or house. Kids will enjoy the carpentry experience and marvel at watching birds make use of their creation. Kits are available in hobby stores and online for making bird feeders. To make one from scratch, visit your library and take out a book on how to build a birdhouse, or find free instructions on the Internet.
Kimberly is an author and freelance writer. Her articles have appeared in more than 200 newspapers, parenting and women’s magazines, and other publications throughout the US.
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