The fall season is full of fun activities to do as a family. Many visit
pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and corn mazes. But there are plenty of
interesting things you can do as a family without ever leaving your house. Here
is a list of a few things you can do to celebrate fall without having a break
the bank:
1.
Raking leaves and then collecting leaves for an
art activity- you and your family could spend the morning raking leaves and
creating piles to jump in, have contests to see whose is the largest, or pick
which pile has the most colorful leaves. Once the majority of your leaves are
bagged and ready to be picked up, collect a small pile to create leaf art. You
could use them to paint with, glue them onto paper and make your own collage of
colors and shapes, or even create pressed leaves to add as decoration to make
your own fall place mats or name tags. (cost for supplies: free)
2.
Pumpkin carving- purchase several smaller
pumpkins or one/two larger pumpkins and use cookie cutter shapes and a mallet
to create designs in your pumpkin. Instead of using a candle, use glow
bracelets/sticks or the artificial battery operated candles you can purchase
from the dollar store to light up the inside of your masterpiece. If you are
looking to make your own design or a pumpkin face, you can purchase a simple
carving kit for about $1.00 at the dollar store or your local Walmart. (Cost
for supplies: Between $5-15.00)
3.
Homemade edibles out of apples- collect a few
baby food jars from the child care center and use them to make homemade apple
butter or apple sauce from apples collected at an orchard or your local grocery
store. You could also make homemade apple cider or apple juice. (cost for supplies:
$5-15) Here are a couple of easy recipes to follow for these activities: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/apple_butter/
and http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/spiced-hot-apple-cider-26711
4.
Fall table centerpiece- have your family go
outside and collect various fall items such as pine cones, large acorns, pine
needles in bundles, and sticks. Lay the items on paper or wax paper and use
glitter spray or regular glitter and paint to decorate your items. Once they
dry, place them in a clear bowl to use as décor for your dining room table or
coffee table. (cost for supplies: $2-5)
5.
Pumpkin play dough- Have a fun time pretending
making pies and let the kids get into the actual pie pans and pie servers or
mold them into small pumpkins and add a stem to make the project complete. Here
is an easy recipe that requires items you probably already have in your
kitchen! ( Cost for supplies: Free- $5) http://spoonful.com/crafts/pumpkin-pie-play-dough
