Celebrating Fall Equinox with kids

The Autumn equinox marks the official transition from summer to fall in the Northern Hemisphere. On this day for only the second time during the year, daylight and darkness are in perfect balance. Seasonal changes are an invitation for our kids to celebrate, connect with nature and embrace and not fear change.

Here are five ways to celebrate the Autumn equinox with kids coming up on September, 22 - next Monday!

Get Outside and Explore Nature Our days have already begun to grow shorter while the earth is beginning to slow down, but that doesn't mean we still can't get outside! Go on a nature walk and look for leaves changing color, pumpkins decorating stoops, and leaf piles to jump in! Download our Fall Nature Treasure Hunt for added fun!

Fall Nature Treasure Hunt.pdf

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Make a pumpkin lantern. Grab some golf tees, mallets (or a kid friendly hammer if you feel comfortable) and have explorers create small holes in a pumpkin. They can be free range or in a design, doesn't matter! Scoop out the pumpkin when the design is "complete," add a battery-operated light and you have a sweet porch pumpkin that will light up the night.

Decorate a tree. Nothing new here but this activity is always engaging for explorers of all ages, adult ones too! Simply put a piece of tape around a tree, it can be clear packing tape, kraft tape, whatever you have on hand (regular wrapping tape likely won't work as well) so the sticky part is facing away from the bark. Add nature treasures such as fallen leaves, twigs, and pine cones.

Decorated tree at Demers Garden Center, Fall 2023!

Fall Picture Books. Head to the library and gather some new favorite reads. We'll have even more at our Fall for Autumn fest this Sunday!

Just a few of our favorite books to celebrate fall!

Make your own leaf press. This is so simple and fun! Grab a cardboard box you're about to recycle, we want it to be thicker than a cereal box. Decide how many "pages" of your press you'd like, I chose 8, then cut the cardboard to the size you want. It doesn't matter the size as long as they're big enough to fit the nature treasures you'd like to press. Place 1-2 treasures, on a piece of cardboard, add another layer of cardboard and nature treasures and continue until you've filled your pages. Make sure the top layer is just a piece of cardboard to keep everything tucked in. Wrap the entire book with elastic bands and let them press for 2-3 weeks. This is so fun for preserving colorful leaves throughout the fall for arts and crafts or decorations in your home!

These ideas are simple, but they're meant to be. Being outside doesn't have to be complicated and you don't nurture a connection to nature with a lot of "stuff" in the way. Celebrate outside with a meal, practice your sit spot or simply enjoy your morning coffee on the lawn. It doesn't matter how you celebrate as long as you get outside and enjoy it.