My name is Autumn, and yes I’m writing about Autumn themed crafts to do with kiddos. For the lifetime of comments, teasing, and punny jokes made about my name, I have learned to embrace my season and love for all things Fall. I truly love the Fall, the crisp weather (a.k.a. finally not sweating all the time), warm comfort food and drinks, and all of the fun Fall activities. My son is turning 2 this Fall and living in these COVID times, I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with activities to have on hand. Here are some things from this Autumn loving Autumn and her family.
Fall Tree Painting
Supplies: wine corks (or fingers if you don’t have any), red, orange, and yellow paint, construction paper
I set out small amounts of paint and used wine corks for my son to paint “Fall leaves” on the tree. To make yours a little more festive, cut out brown construction paper to make the tree. I just used a brown crayon to draw it after the paint had dried. My son loved squishing the paint, so it got a little messier, but it was fun and the end result was super cute.
Make a sensory bag
We did this in the spring so I figured another round would be great for my little guy. We went to Tower Hill Botanic Garden and while walking the paths, collected some colorful leaves, pine needles, and acorns and made a sensory bag. Another sensory bag I tried was using seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc…) with oil, water and orange food coloring. This was a fun way to play with some seasonal items without having to collect them outside. This is great for kiddos of all ages, especially for tummy time! Pro-tip: Use an alcohol wipe to get the label off of the Ziploc bag so your little one can see from both sides.
Farms and Farmstands
We are so fortunate to live in a beautiful area with so many great farms. We went to
Summit Wynds Farm in Holden in September and really enjoyed their sunflower fields. They have a really nice trail and their goats/chickens are there for easy viewing. I recommend a baby carrier over a stroller and closed-toed shoes! There are many others we visited;
Clearview Farm for apple picking and looking at cows,
FiveFork Farms (season ends in October) for dahlias,
Tougas Farm has apple picking, a pumpkin patch, store, and a huge playground. There are many more but these were a few of our favorites.
Pumpkin Washing and Painting
Carving pumpkins is a mess and a lot of work, so we opted for pumpkin painting last year. My son had fun washing the
pumpkins in a sensory bin, which was clean-ish fun and then we painted the pumpkins, which was not so clean! If there’s a warmer day, this is a great one to do outside!
Enjoy and happy Fall!
[…] is nothing quite like Autumn in New England, and Central Mass in late Fall has a lot to offer. October might be over, but there […]