Getting kids outside this fall is more important than ever. As we continue to navigate unprecedented times and deal with stress and anxiety, kids (and parents) desperately need fresh air, sunshine and Vitamin N (nature!). However, we also know that parents are maxed out in terms of what they can plan, research and execute. That’s why we’re here! We want to help busy and exhausted parents come up with fun and EASY ways to get outside with your kids. Today, Katie Fox, a full-time RV-traveling mom of 2, is here sharing five really simple autumn nature adventures that you can do with your kids with little to no planning! These ideas are easy to implement, fun for kids of all ages, adaptable for wherever you live and many can even be done in your neighborhood or backyard.
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot
Finding the fun in fall
Is anyone else’s soul wedded to autumn? The fading summer heat, beautiful autumn colors, cozying up to a good book, pumpkins, apples, scarves, and tasty warm beverages, all really delight my body and soul. Autumn is my favorite time of year.
This autumn, however, also brought with it the challenges of distance learning, working from home, and Covid-19 restrictions. With new restrictions on what we can do safely indoors and out, traditional fall activities look different or aren’t available. Now, maybe more than ever, it is important to take mental breaks to help with the stress and anxiety a lot of us are feeling. And nature really is one of the best ways to easily do this.
Yet, finding time to plan and implement fun nature adventures can be so hard when you are busy juggling all the other things life is throwing your way. Who has the time to do research on what can be done and what the restrictions are and when to schedule? So let me help make it easier with these five simple autumn nature adventures for kids.
Five simple autumn nature adventures
These five outdoor adventures are simple to do and easy to implement. They can easily be done during a virtual learning break, after school, on a weekend or any time your family needs a quick romp in nature to restore your mental equilibrium. They require little to no advanced planning and can easily be done in your own neighborhood and some even in your own backyard!
1. Rainbow hike
There is no doubt about it, autumn is a colorful time of year. So why not enjoy the colors with a fun rainbow hike to see if you can find all seven colors of the rainbow? The first half of the rainbow is fairly easy in North America in autumn. But those last three colors – blue, indigo, and violet – may prove more difficult.
Preparation:
This is one super easy to prep for because it can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make it.
Don’t have time to prepare anything? This hike is perfect. Indeed, all you have to do is take a walk through your neighborhood and look for the colors of the rainbow. Nevertheless, if you wanted to prepare something, you could simply grab a piece of scratch paper and some markers draw a simple box for each color of the rainbow. Or print a rainbow. And there is always the option to have your children create their own rainbow hike worksheet making rainbow-colored squares or use my free rainbow hike worksheet.
Hike implementation ideas:
Once you get out the door, the fun really begins. Try one or more of these ideas to make your rainbow hike super successful!
- Just start searching for all the colors and try to find all seven!
- Go in rainbow color order! This will add a little extra challenge, especially for those children already very familiar with their colors.
- If you are bringing a printed worksheet for your children to use on the hike, bring one for each child. Each child having their own printed worksheet will likely avoid some sibling bickering (trust me, I know).
- If you want to keep your findings, bring some tape (to tape them to your paper) or a small bag to collect them.
2. Spiderweb hunt
Get into the spooky autumn spirit with this engaging adventure and nature activity. Spiderwebs are everywhere, probably even in your backyard or patio. They are simple enough to find and children delight in being able to spot them. A spiderweb hunt is a great way for your kids to become observant of their surroundings and aware of the nature all around.
Preparation:
Again, this one requires little to no preparation. You can simply walk out the door and exclaim, “we are hunting for spiderwebs today!” Then, all you need to do is explore your neighborhood, searching nooks and crannies for spiderwebs. However, if you have time and energy, you could also pair this nature adventure with a book (we love The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle) or a nature journaling exercise. And if you are feeling really ambitious, you could even dive deeper into how spiderwebs are made, what web material is made out of, the strength of the web material, and so much more.
Hike implementation ideas:
For this hike, I recommend bringing along a misting spray bottle to gently spray water onto the spiderwebs. This makes some of the more difficult webs easier for little kids to see and observe. An added benefit is you get to see the water droplets form on the web too, exposing all the incredible designs. Just be careful not to disturb or destroy the webs. These intricate webs took a spider a long time to make and help them catch food. Be respectful and observe with eyes only.
3. Autumn leaf hike
Once those autumn leaves begin to fall it is almost impossible for children to not enjoy them! They find delight in all aspects of the colorful leaves. And what better way to enjoy your autumn nature adventures than to explore the autumn leaves with your kids.
Preparation:
I cannot stress this one enough, this can be as simple as you want it to be! There is zero need to prep for a leaf hike! But, if your children are anything like mine, you may want to consider the following:
- Bring and bag or basket to carry the many colorful leaves your children fall in love with.
- Collect any art supplies you may want to use with your autumn leaves for art projects.
Hike implementation ideas:
As you meander through your neighborhood, local park or down your favorite trail, keep these ideas in the back of your brain. You may want to try them (or you may not), there is no right way to do an autumn leaf hike.
- Simply enjoy the view of the leaves. Maybe point out the colors and stop to examine the colorful leaves you find.
- Try to match the leaves on the ground with the tree they fell from. Identify the type of tree and what color(s) that tree’s leaves turn.
- Collect a variety of leaves to display in your nature display in your home. (you can dip them in beeswax to preserve the color longer)
- Let your children lay down and make autumn leaf angels in the leaves.
- Rake the leaves into a pile and jump into them!
- Toss a handful of leaves in the air and enjoy their faces as the leaves fall down around them. Let them follow suit.
- Use the collected leaves to make a variety of art pieces. Create fall leaf crowns, make leaf rubbings, construct these adorable leaf wreaths from the Artful Parent, create these neat leaf lanterns, or use them to create a multimedia abstract art piece.
4. Costume hike
Autumn is the time of year when many dress up in costumes for Halloween. Whether you celebrate this particular holiday or not, dress-up clothes are likely a regular occurrence in your home. So why not bring the dress-up fun outdoors? People enjoy seeing children dressed up and children love the added attention the costume brings them. Besides, a stroll through your neighborhood is bound to bring smiles to faces all around.
Preparation:
All you need for this autumn nature adventure is a costume! Costumes don’t have to be spooky or scary. They can be fun and creative! Anything from a simple princess dress to a superhero cape would work. The point is to make a regular nature walk a little bit more exciting with costumes.
Hike implementation ideas:
As with the rest of these ideas, this one can be as simple as you want it to be. There is no need to add anything else into the mix. Just dress up and go for a walk around your neighborhood. But, if you want to add to the adventure, consider some of these ideas for fun costume hike day adventures.
- Have a costume tea party. Pack some snacks, a book to read aloud, some tea, and a blanket. After your costume hike through your neighborhood or favorite trail, find the perfect spot in your backyard (or near the end of your trail hike) to enjoy some tea and a story together.
- Create a simple DIY nature-inspired costume for your autumn nature adventures. For added fun see if you and your children can find the nature creatures they are dressed up as while on your hike.
- Dress up with your kids and make the whole hike extra special! Even just a silly hat or a mask goes a long way.
5. Trash pick-up hike
Autumn is the time of year when the trees make themselves look beautiful! But, it is also typically the start of the rainy season in many parts of North America. So let’s help keep the trash out of the waterways by going on a trash pick-up hike! This autumn nature adventure is not only good for kids, but great for the planet!
Preparation:
All you need for this hike is a container to place the collected trash and a method of picking up trash. We usually use a PikStik and gloves. But we’ve also used a plastic bag around our hands as the barrier between our hands and the trash we are picking up. Again, just like the others, there is no need to travel to a local park for this adventure either, as neighborhoods are often littered with trash as well.
Hike implementation ideas:
Grab a couple of plastic bags, or some gloves and a bucket, and head on outside to make your neighborhood or favorite park beautiful and trash-free! Here are some tips for collecting trash with children.
- Set some basic ground rules based on the age of your children. For example, we let our 5-year-old and 3-year-old pick up anything that is not broken glass, sharp-looking, or cigarettes. However, if they see those things, they let us know and we pick them up.
- Sometimes, trash hunting becomes so much fun that children want to keep going and going. This is amazing, but also not practical. So we’ve set time limits and also have a rule that if we fill up our bag, we will take a break.
- Again, there is no need to travel for this hike. Just walk out your front door and collect the trash you see in your neighborhood. Garbage trucks often accidentally lose pieces of trash on garbage day and sometimes people drop (or toss) trash on the ground, too.
- Finally, consider taking some time to briefly talk about why you are cleaning up the trash. No need for a deep discussion on the topic or environmental activism, just let your children know that there is only one Earth and we need to do what we can to keep it clean.
Enjoy autumn easily
Truly, there are so many ways to enjoy autumn. Outdoor activities with kids don’t have to be elaborate or require a bunch of planning. The activities featured here require not much more than a plan to get outside a few household items. We want to make sure that getting out with your kids is a priority and we’re here to help make it as simple as possible!
Autumn is an amazing time of year to get outside and have fun with the kids. Sometimes, I enthusiastically agree with George Elliot and wish I could remain in an eternal autumn to enjoy all the wonderful bits of the season forever. These are only five simple autumn nature adventures, but there are so many other ways to enjoy the season!
What are your favorite autumn nature adventures to do with kids?
About the author
Katie lives in a tiny home on wheels and travels full-time with her two mostly wild children, tech-minded partner, two well-traveled pups, and adopted pet snail. As they wander the North American continent, Katie explores as much as possible, with a particular fondness for the adventures her family enjoys in state and national parks. When not trekking through the outdoors, Katie enjoys baking, homeschooling, consuming mochas from local coffee shops across the continent, practicing her photography skills, and soaking up as much knowledge as she can. As an advocate for families exploring the great outdoors, Katie co-founded a Hike it Baby branch in her hometown in Northern California and tries to encourage families to get outside whenever possible. Katie has a Master’s degree in human development from the University of Missouri, Columbia, but her passion is really history and humanities (which is coincidentally what her Bachelor’s degrees are in). She currently volunteers on the Hike it Baby National team as a contributing blogger.
You can find more from Katie online in the following locations:
Instagram: @familyinwanderland
Website: www.familyinwanderland.com
Facebook: @familyinwanderland
RWMC posts: Katie Fox