Autumn is one of my favourite seasons – I get a burst of back-to-school energy, and lose myself in plans of Halloween days out, visits to Christmas markets, ideas for half-term escapes and all kinds of fun things to do in autumn with kids.
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This year, I’m glad that there’s still a ‘back to school’ to enjoy after repeated self-isolation last term! And while I’ve braved the travel restrictions to explore more over the summer, I’m still reluctant to plan too far ahead – so I’ve dusted down this post on easy ways to brighten up autumn with kids.
Because without anything to look forward to on my autumn wishlist, especially after a distinctly difficult 18 months, it would be a long old gloomy end to the year. So I’m brightening it up with my list of things to do this autumn… with a little help from my friends. Most should be doable wherever you are, won’t cost too much money and will give us all something to look forward to.
Have one day out each month
When my daughter was younger, I did the #take12trips challenge for years, to inspire myself to make plans and ensure the weeks didn’t pass without some kind of day out exploring every month.
It was a good reminder that there’s plenty to discover on the doorstep that you otherwise never quite get around to visiting – something which the past year has reminded me of once again!
So while I’m not planning anything too dramatic just yet, there’s no reason not to arrange some getaways close to home. So far this year, I’ve explored Northumberland, Leeds and York, along with Herefordshire, not to mention trips to Norfolk, Suffolk and Colchester in Essex, as well as a trip to the seaside in Sussex and countless days out in London.
The thought of even one day out or trip each month (hopefully more!) puts a smile on my face – even if it’s as simple as finding a great place for bonfire night in London.
Collect conkers
There’s something so satisfyingly glossy about conkers – and as our walk to school takes us under several horse chestnut trees, we always find ourselves picking up a few (and watching the squirrels squirrel the rest away).
Jenny, from Peak District Kids, does the same. “With every coat and trouser pocket filled to the brim with conkers, my boys love nothing more than a conker hunt come autumn. Those conkers still in their soft green shells, cocooned from the morning frost, are always the most exciting ones. How many times do you need to jump on it to set it free?
“But what to do with all these conkers once they get home? The days of conker fights are no more, but there are lots of crafty things still to do with them.
“Perhaps make conker chains to put above the fire and decorate the house, or paint funny faces on them. You could even use them for counting, or a conker and spoon race. And did you know it is believed that placing conkers around the house on windowsills keeps the spiders away?”
Pick a pumpkin
I remember the sheer fun of picking fruit when I was younger – and just because summer is over, it doesn’t mean that particular joy has to end, with ever more pumpkin patches around the country where you can pick your own.
“We love celebrating Halloween in our household, and over the years it’s become more elaborate and even more of a tradition,” says Ting, who blogs at My Travel Monkey.
“One thing we always do is carve several pumpkins, and the bigger, the scarier, the better. We’re lucky that we have so many wonderful PYO farms close by, so we always make a day of it – head off to the farm, pick as many as we can carry and then spend the afternoon trying out designs!”
For some of the UK’s best pumpkin picking, check out my list of Halloween days out, as well as the best pumpkin patches near London, in Surrey, in Devon, in the Peak District, in Yorkshire and across Scotland.
Watch the sunrise
I’m never usually very good at getting up to watch the sunrise: the exceptions are when I’m travelling, when there’s more incentive like watching monks processing for alms at daybreak in Laos, or climbing a mountain to see the sun come up in Egypt.
Unless I’ve got the helping hand of jetlag to rouse me bright and early on trips to the US and the Caribbean.
But once the days get shorter, it does mean I can soak up the sight of the sun’s first rays without having to get up TOO early.
Go stargazing
The other bonus of the nights drawing in is being able to go stargazing with my daughter, without having to keep her up late (a tired, grumpy girl the following day won’t brighten her autumn or mine…)
Admittedly it’s not always easy in London thanks to the light pollution but the brightest stars are usually visible, and it’s a good incentive to arrange an evening trip away from the city streets – and on a night when the moon isn’t full, for the same reason.
There’s also a great guide to upcoming meteor showers on the Royal Museums Greenwich site – Greenwich being home to the Royal Observatory, which also has tips on what to look for in the night sky.
Curl up with a book
Even when you can’t travel in reality, you can still venture to other places in your imagination – and when better to crack open a new book (or an old favourite) than when it’s cold and miserable outside?
MiniTravellers blogger Karen has even gone one step further and written her own, in case you fancy more inspiration for your kids.
“One of our favourite ways to spend time in autumn is curling up on a cosy sofa with a good book and a hot chocolate. For some reason the promise of cuddles and chocolate always piques my girls’ interest.
“But what book to read? Well, we can highly recommend our new book for children aged 8-11. The Little Museum was the first in a new mystery series that followed the Extraordinary Travellers in a race across France to see who had stolen the Eiffel Tower, with the Spanish sequel, The Clock Thief coming out in October. It’s full of fun and contains lots of facts, language and travel ideas too!”
If you fancy more inspiration, check out some of the best fiction to inspire travel as well as travel memoirs and other non-fiction to transport you away.
Go for a walk
I don’t think I appreciated the simple pleasure of going for a stroll quite as much as our first walk after lockdown – and while the joy of walks definitely wore off after a bit, there’s still nothing like a clear crisp autumn day to get outdoors and scuff through the leaves or splash in puddles.
Tinbox Traveller’s Claire agrees: “We love getting out for walks in the autumn months as the air always feels fresher, especially when you’ve been cooped up indoors.
“A chilly wander along a coast path or on the moors is also the perfect excuse to cuddle up with a hot chocolate with all the trimmings when we get home. And after the past year, it’s never too early for a mulled wine or cider to help warm you up too.”
If your kids need some added motivation to get out for a walk, I love the I Spy Countryside book – we’ve taken it away to Devon and Norfolk, and very excitedly picked up another 25 points spotting fly agaric toadstools on a walk in Oxfordshire earlier this month.
There’s also the new I Spy Autumn that’s perfect for this time of year.
Fly a kite
I love watching kites in the sky, and after seeing several swooping above the wide open spaces of Norfolk’s beaches, I decided I really had to hunt out my daughter’s old kite and fly it with her again on a blustery autumn day.
As I evidently put it away somewhere very very safe last time, I’m also eyeing up this beginner’s rainbow kite if we need a replacement. Although I suspect she’d also be tempted by this eagle kite.
Make wild art
One of my favourite things about autumn is watching the leaves change colour – it always amazes me what different shades you get.
(It amazes me even more that there seems to be no benefit to the tree in making these fabulous golden, oranges and red shades which brighten our days. Thanks trees!)
When my daughter was younger, we used to go on rainbow hunts to see what shades we could spot, or for another craft idea, collect some of the leaves and use them to make some wild art.
Treat the birds
One highlight of the first lockdown last year was sitting and watching the birds – a squabbly group of goldfinches which would chatter at each other from the TV aerials, a blackbird who’d sing to announce evening every night, a fleet family of swifts darting through the sky.
Even in our urban corner of west London, we’ve got robins, starlings and bluetits along with squawky green parakeets, magpies and jays.
I always try to keep the fat balls topped up in our bird feeder for them over the winter and love watching them flock towards it (except the big bullying jay, he can shove off!)
I came across these instructions for making a pine cone bird feeder from the RSPB too: perfect for combining with one of those long walks, to pick up the cones then watch the birds enjoy the results.
Have movie night
We started a regular movie night tradition during lockdown one which we’ve kept up ever since, all curled up on the sofa with pizza – and as winter approaches, snuggled up under our furry throw – as we work out way through some classic kids’ films as well as some newer animated ones.
It let me re-watch a few that I haven’t seen for years (as well as a virtual trip to Jamaica and Canada with Cool Runnings). Let me know what you think we should add to our list for the winter?
Make hot chocolate
Hot chocolate to drink with your book, hot chocolate to warm up with after a long walk… you’re never short of excuses to make one. I’m a big fan of Green & Black’s Hot Chocolate but for a bit of extra luxury that transports you right to Paris, try this Classic hot chocolate from Hotel Chocolat.
Or Gnaw’s Boozy Hot Chocolate Shots come in several different liqueur favourites, as well as a non-alcoholic milk chocolate version with marshmallows for kids.
Bake something
Colder weather equals comfort food – as autumn begins, I start making soup (including a spiced chicken version with butternut squash and lots of cumin and ginger. Mmmm) as well as all those bread and cake recipes we were perfecting during lockdowns.
It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing with my daughter, and her afterschool cooking club means she hardly needs me in the kitchen these days – having tried her recent chocolate orange flapjack recipe, she can make that one as often as she likes!
Katja from Globetotting agrees. “Cooking, in particular baking, is definitely not my forte. But in recent months, my 11-year-old daughter has discovered that not only does she enjoy it but she’s rather good at it too.
“She started off with that lockdown favourite, banana bread, and graduated onto berry muffins, chocolate chip cookies (quickly deciding that the amount of chocolate in the recipe was a mere suggestion), a no-bake cheesecake with thyme and honey and an apple crumble.
“As the nights draw in , I predict much more baking in our future. It’s an easy and fun activity for kids and one that they can largely do by themselves as they get older. Meaning that I merely have to supervise and then eat the end result!”
PIN FOR LATER: THINGS TO DO IN AUTUMN WITH KIDS
Images: Main image/pumpkin picking/hot chocolate courtesy of Depositphotos, Little Museum book collage courtesy Mini Travellers, all others copyright MummyTravels
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