Break out the jackets! Autumn is here! Be sure to create your Autumn bucket list with the kids. Ask them what they remember most about Autumn, what their favorite activities are that they would like to do again, and something they wish they could do as a family. Between sports, homework, chores, and other responsibilities, it will be good to know you’ve created some warm memories on those cooler fall days!
- Peek at the Macaroni Kid Calendar for an up-to-date listing of local community events in your area or worth driving to on Long Island!
- Attend a local fair or festival!
- Enjoy a hike or bike ride together: The weather is getting cooler so after sitting at school or in the office all day, head to a local preserve for a hike or the local bike path for a ride! Bring a kite to fly once you arrive at the park! Local parks guide-We like to try a different park each week and meetup with friends.
- Join one of the Facebook Playdates groups to find friends to go to events with! Have a toddler still at home? Check out our Toddler Pinterest board for some fun activities to do with your little one.
- Check out the bike path and trails
- Bake something! Take some of those apples and teach the kids how to make apple pie! Try any number of other recipes that include apples!
- Apple Recipes & Fall recipes: Popcorn balls, apple cider recipes, pumpkin pie, and baking pumpkin seeds.
- Go on a scavenger hunt or leaf collecting: Create a fun list for the kids of items found outside and challenge your family to be the first one to find them all. That person gets to pick their new place. Did you notice the leaves were changing yet? Take a nice drive upstate or even along the parkway and look at the leaves! Head to the park to collect various types of tree leaves and look up how they grow online. Pick some pinecones or acorns and make a craft! Throw a few different leaves under paper and do a leaf rubbing!
- Go on a Scavenger Hunt
- Sign up for a fall sport or dance class. Click here for a list of local kids art, theatre, dance & swimming classes & sports teams.
- Painting Fun! Snip and Paint: print out leaf shapes and have the kids trace them onto colored paper or rub a leaf design onto paper and paint it in. Grab some finger paints and put red, yellow, brown, and orange on a coated late. Have your child use their fingers to ‘dab’ colored paint onto the paper and finger paint away! You can always sign your child or teen up for lessons.
- Go camping or just pretend and set up a tent in your back yard. Don’t forget all the ingredients for S’mores! Camping & Night Time Fun board
- Go fishing! Rent a boat charter for a family reunion or take a few in the family out to catch some fun. Head to Belmont State Park and enjoy the paddleboats with your family! (While summer may be over, swimming isn’t! Keep your safe for next summer by continuing their swimming lessons!)
- Head out to eat! Check out our Kids Eat FREE article for a list of who has Kids Eat Free nights every day of the week!
- Watch some football together: (Yes, I typed that) Put on your team’s colors and enjoy a finger food, picnic in front of the TV with your fans. Have a friendly dessert wager on whose team will win.
- Pinterest board with Football & Sports Recipes and Crafts and
- Easy Prep Tailgating Recipes
- Read a book together! School is starting and rather than 15 minutes of reading tons of mini books, find a great chapter book you loved, a classic or a new favorite, and read a few chapters each night. No matter the age, your kids and teens will love listening to you. (PS. Listening and asking/answering questions builds vocabulary while improving reading comprehension!) Here are some Great books for all ages.
- Make a bird house or bird feeder
- Print out some spooky jokes and add them to your child's lunchbox each day.
- Pick a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch or head to a local farmer’s market. Walk through a corn maze. Decorate or carve your pumpkin for some added fun. Don’t forget to put out a Teal pumpkin if you have allergy friendly toys to choose from instead of candy! Halloween patches and fairs will be on the calendar!
- Start thinking about your Halloween Costume or Trunk or Treat designs.
- How about some Halloween crafting with the kids!
- Rake the leaves as a family! What’s better than jumping in a pile of leaves? Build a scarecrow! Do it as a family! How about putting them in those black huge spider bags or mulching them into pile and spreading them around the garden bed to nourish it for next year.
- Pop in a great Halloween type movie! Whether it’s Monster’s Inc or The Addams Family. The whole family will enjoy a big bowl of popcorn and a startlingly fun flick!
- BOO someone! Start a new tradition. BOO someone a little before Halloween. Toss some candy or little toys in a treat bag. Bring the bag to someone’s house and tape it to the screen window or leave it on the porch.
- Create an “I’m Thankful for” jar and have kids spread kind messages, fold them up, and toss them into the Thankful jar. Read them off at Thanksgiving Dinner!
- Play a board game together! Teach your children some of your favorites.
- Visit a museum! See some of Long Island’s historic places!
- Free Museum Pass at the Library
- Tackapausha events and fun
- Rainy Day Fun! Fill a bucket with fun craft project starters or supplies! make sure you have the ingredients for homemade playdough or other fun crafts. Put on your rain boots and go jump in some muddy puddles! Rainy/Snowy Day activities ideas!
- Find opportunities for your family to volunteer. Help out at a local walk or donate to someone’s efforts. Find a soup kitchen and collect food or go and help pass them out. Rake a neighbor’s lawn and visit with them for a bit or bring some of those freshly baked cookies to the local firehouse. You could even hold a lemonade stand to help a local organization!
- Go Horseback Riding
- Plan a trip to the Thanksgiving Parade or a dinner with crafts and decorations.
- Ride a train (Be it the big one to another town or the little ones out east!) or just take the LIRR to another town and have dinner near the station.
