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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

(Editor’s note: Nancy has fall activities all planned for us. Thanks, Nancy!)

Summer is often touted as the best season of the year for kids because it means that they’re home from school and can play outside all day every day. There’s trips to the pool, picnics in the park, and summer vacations to look forward to. But just because summer has ended and school has started doesn’t mean that the outdoor activities have to end. Here are five fun fall activities you can do with your kids:

1. Visit a pumpkin patch
Picking out the perfect Halloween pumpkin is a great way to get your kids out of the house on the weekend and in the Halloween spirit. A lot of times you’ll be able to find a local pumpkin patch that also has other fun activities going on, and once you’ve found the perfect pumpkin (or pumpkins) you can go home and have a pumpkin carving contest.

2. Go apple-picking
Visiting an apple orchard to pick ripe apples is one of those quintessential fall activities. Most apple orchards plant some trees that are low enough to the ground that kids will have no problem picking apples off of, meaning you don’t have to suffer through the worry of watching them climb through trees to get to apples and they still get to be part of the activity. Plus picking all those apples can only mean one thing – homemade apple pie!

3. Build a scarecrow
Fall weather practically begs for having scarecrows added to the front yard, and what better way to do so then by building one with your kids? You can use leaves to stuff an old flannel shirts and jeans (which is a perfect excuse to get them to help you rake the front yard!) and wrap an old coffee can in construction paper (or use a pumpkin from your trip to the pumpkin patch!) to make a head. Let the kids glue on buttons for eyes and a mouth and then add straw where his hands and feet should be. Top him off with a straw hat and you’ll have the perfect scarecrow for your house and your kids will have had a blast making him.

4. Find a fall festival
Fall festivals are all over the place and offer a great way to pack in a full day of family fun. Usually they have all sorts of activities kids love to partake in – from fun houses to face painting, and different contests where the kids can win prizes. Added bonus: they’ll probably be worn out and fall straight to sleep once you get home!

5. Take a trip to a local farm
Many local farms will open up their farms to visitors on the weekends so that families can visit. You’ll be able to pick up some fresh and local produce and the kids will be able to go on hay rides and pet the animals, plus the cooler weather will mean that being outside all day will be pleasant instead of miserable!

Just because school has started up again and the leaves are starting to change color doesn’t mean that the fun outdoor activities have to end! Fall brings some of the best outdoor weather and activities, and the fact that you can do all of these activities as a family is an added bonus!

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, and Babysitting, find a nanny tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.

Earnest Parenting: tips for fall activities the whole family can enjoy.

Photo provided courtesy of Lady_Fox via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.