The official first day of fall is Sept. 22, but the day kids (and teachers) go back to school seems like the end of summer for most people.
Personally, I love fall and all the activities that go with it. So here’s a reminder of some of the best ways to kick off the season:
• Go to a high school football game. Nothing beats the feeling of sitting on a blanket atop the bleachers on a chilly fall evening. Everybody’s cheering, the band is playing, the game is entertaining and there are hot dogs for eating. Even the air smells good.
• Take a walk and crunch through the leaves, whether you have a kid with you or not.
• Make soup.
• Start planning your Halloween costume before all the good thrift store items have been snapped up. Every year I think, “this year I will have a creative costume.”
Then I forget and two nights before Halloween decide to do something lame like wear a Twins shirt and call myself a baseball player.
• Start a back-to-school scrapbook. There’s no time better than at the beginning of the year. Things to include: photos of your child before and after the school year, a photo with the teacher, art projects, creative writing, your child’s thoughts, etc.
• Collect leaves and press them in books. Then make placemats with contact paper for a fun kid-friendly activity.
• Stay in on a Friday night and have a family movie night.
• Have an outdoor bonfire. Make s’mores and tell scary (or funny) stories.
You could also play games around the fire like my favorite, “I’m going to Grandma’s and I’m going to bring...” Begin with “A” and go through the alphabet around the circle. Each person repeats the list before adding a new item that starts with their turn’s letter of the alphabet.
• Take a drive and check out the fall colors; take photos of any wildlife you see on your way.
• Look for sales and start your Christmas shopping.
• Freeze vegetables from a farmer’s market, so you can have fresh produce all winter.
• And finally, here’s a real fun one: seal your windows.
It’s going to be a long, cold, expensive winter.
