8 ideas to take your kids' Autumn to AuSOME!

This week we have a special treat - a guest post from Lindsay of @marinas_and_mountains!

Autumn? More like Ausome, am I right!? I fricking love Fall and all the stuff that comes with it, but sometimes with the season change my family and I can get a little stifled in our enthusiasm for the outdoors. The rainy and colder temperature can be seriously intimidating. When it’s raining or snowing, it always looks worse out than it actually is. My instinct is to hole up like a little hibernating bear who just wants to put carbs in her face all night but I don’t think that's good for any of us. With proper gear, we can get outside and have fun in all conditions and seasons. Do you think telling my kids that does anything to motivate them to get outside with me? NOPE!! Practical and logical thought does nothing to motivate my five year old twins. So instead I have to come up with fun ideas, festive plans and maybe a little treat or two.

So here we go. These are my fave ideas to keep the fun rolling into the fall. Giddy up.

1 Plan a scavenger hunt

Not good at planning? Google it. There are tons online that or free or a few dollars per download. Pack a bag of treats and drinks, dress all cozy and go see what you can find. 

2 Hot chocolate. In a thermos.

Maybe two thermoses. Maybe some liqueur falls into one of those thermoses to make a bit of a boozy treat for the adults. Whoops! Take that thermos to your local beach or park and take it for a walk.

3 Hit the trails 

Fall is way better for family hiking. Nobody complains about the heat. I’m not a sweaty mess. The leaves are absolutely beautiful. If it’s raining the tree canopy provides some shelter. Your kids don’t want to walk? Yeah that's normal. Bring some fun snacks to motivate them to walk. Also reference tip #2 above. 

4 Visit an orchard

Fall is apple season baby! It’s a great place to take photos, buy a snack and celebrate the harvest. 

5 Make a mandala 

The fallen leaves, berries, pinecones, sticks and branches on the ground make it easy to collect items for a nature mandala. Take a look online for some inspiration and let your kids lead the design.

6 Do something spooky 

There is something really fun about hopping on reddit, finding an abandoned location and going exploring. Costumes encouraged. 

7 Go day camping

Our family LOVES camping but we aren’t so thick skinned that we camp late into the fall. Instead, we will take our camp stove, some wood, marshmallows and a cozy blanket (we love our Big Throw) to a local provincial park and have lunch or dinner in a campsite or day-use area.

8 Try something new!

Sometimes we don’t need to do huge adventures, we just need to try new spots. Make a list of 10 parks and playgrounds you haven’t been to and over the next few weeks, work at going to see each one. It's a great excuse to check out a new neighbourhood or town and I highly encourage trying a new restaurant, brewery or food truck if you can budget for it after. 

I would love to hear about all your Autumn adventures and see more of your ideas for Fall fun online. Follow me on Instagram @marinas_and_mountains and tag or message with your ideas. Happy exploring adventure families!

Wowsa..thanks so much Lindsay!!