Outdoor Fall Fun

Hi Parents,

Fall is the perfect time to get outside as a family before the weather starts to get ch-ch-chilly! And I don’t know if it’s because my home office is next to a window that faces a park and I get to look at trees all day or if it’s because we are taking more neighbourhood walks than ever before, but this fall seems to be extra-spectacular!

Here are some things we will be doing this month to take advantage of the colourful season.

Go on a Leaf Walk – Challenge your kid(s) to collect 5-10 different leaves from around the neighbourhood. The bigger and more colourful, the better. Then press the leaves between two pieces of waxed paper and hide them in the pages of a big heavy book. In a few weeks or month, open the book and look at the leaves together, trying to remember where each leaf was found.

Take a Tree Tour – Drive or walk to a location with lots of different trees and note all the colours that you see. Discuss the difference between tree that change colour in fall and those that do not. See how many of the same tree you can count.

Lay in a Leaf Pile – Let your kids bury you in a giant leaf pile, wait a few minutes, and then jump out at them. Take turns hiding in the pile and jumping out and also take turns making the leaf pile high again. Who can pile it the highest?

Make a Family Tree – Collect leaves and use them to create a big family tree. Write each person’s name on a leaf and tape or glue them onto a drawing of a tree with branches.

Happy fall everyone!

— Jackie