5 Ways to Get in the Fall Spirit With Learning There’s something special about the start of fall! Pumpkins start showing up on doorsteps, leaves begin to change colors and drop to the ground, and wardrobes shift from shorts and tank tops to cozy sweaters and leggings. If you’re someone who loves to celebrate autumn, we incorporate these five activities to get the whole family into the seasonal spirit! 1. Head to a farm. Depending on the age of your child, you can teach the names of animals, the names for groups ("A group of cows is called a kine. A group of chickens is called a brood."), or random facts. (Did you know that, according to Smithsonian Magazine, the ostrich and the chicken are the closest living relatives to T-Rex?) 2. Choose books with a fall theme. There are lots of websites with lists of autumn-themed books for kids, but this is one of our favorites: https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/fall-books-preschool-kindergarten.html 3. Go apple picking. Not only are orchards a great way to get your hands on super fresh fruit, cider and (sometimes) pies, but you can also use the opportunity to learn about harvesting! If your nearest orchard doesn’t offer a fact-filled tour, consider some of these tidbits from Apple Holler: • The average person eats 65 apples a year. • Apple trees can live to be about 100 years old! • The average apple has 10 seeds. • 25% of an apple’s volume is air, which is why they float when you bob for apples! 4. Build a scarecrow. Grab some old clothes and a hat to stuff with hay, towels, towels or rags and you’ll have a fall-inspired project to inspire neighbors! Then mix in some history, science and folklore for a fun lesson about the costume creation. Need a little inspiration? Consider these tidbits from TheFactSite.com: • The first scarecrows known to history were made about 3,000 years ago. Egyptians used them to protect their wheat fields, especially along the Nile River. • There’s more to scaring off birds than just how the scarecrow looks. Because the smell of humans lingers on the clothes, birds tend to keep their distance. (Japanese farmers used to hang old rags, meat and fish bones on their scarecrows to keep birds and other creatures away from their crops!) • In Medieval Britain, young boys wandered the fields with bags of stones to throw at birds. They were called "bird scarers." Unfortunately, after the Great Plague greatly decreased the population, there weren’t enough bird scarers, leading farmers to start making scarecrows to put in their fields. 5. Create a leaf-inspired art project. Art projects provide an opportunity to teach color, form, texture, shape, space, and other critical elements. Hands On As We Grow has a great collection of ideas to get you started! Check out "42 Stunning Leaf Crafts for Kids to Make" here: https://handsonaswegrow.com/kids-leaf-crafts/