March heralds the start of autumn! As the days grow shorter and cooler it’s time to celebrate all the good that the season offers.
If you know me you know that I love autumn. Indeed, there’s much to love about bidding farewell to summer’s sticky humidity and welcoming the crisp autumn mornings (with open, non-sweaty arms). It’s a new beginning and a refreshing one at that.
Ever since I became a mum I’ve reveled in the opportunity to celebrate each season. Children are naturally inquisitive about the changing trees, the need to wear an extra layer and the different light (or lack thereof) come bedtime. Our daily rhythms naturally shift to reflect the seasons. Autumn prompts us to bring the washing in a little earlier, to close the curtains well before dusk to maintain warmth and to search for socks for cold little feet.
If you’re keen to embrace seasonality with your kids and welcome autumn, why not do the following:
- Go on a leaf hunt: Granted, you have to wait until all the golden, rust and ochre leaves have started to fall but… the fun is guaranteed. The big, crunchy leaves of liquid amber trees are fascinating to children and truly beautiful to adults. Gather them up, throw them about, go running through the piles of colour and collect enough to take home and use for craft projects (paint them, trace them, thread them together to form a seasonal bunting…). TRY THIS: 42 Autumn Leaf Craft Project Your Kids Will Love
- Wash the woollens: Hand washing can be a bit of a pain, but set aside an hour one autumn morning and find joy in the fresh scent of eucalyptus wool wash. Every season I open the space bags that house all the blankets, jumpers and beanies and spend a morning washing away the dust. It’s a chore but it’s also a ritual, and once it’s done I know that I’m that much more prepared for the cool mornings and nights.
- Bask in the warm autumn sun: We’ve had a mighty hot summer ending with lots of rain for the east coast, so there’s been far too many days where venturing out hasn’t been possible. Autumn really does turn on the postcard beach days and it’s much more enjoyable to spend time outdoors with the kids when you don’t have to fret about heat stroke. Autumn mornings at the rock pool are one of my favourite ways to enjoy the season… and they promise a long afternoon nap for the little ones.
- Fill the freezer: Comfort can be found in having a good stockpile of nourishing food in your freezer and the first weeks of autumn are the perfect time to get a head start. Get out the slow cooker (and revel in knowing that dinner is all done by 9am!), make use of seasonal veggies that are just so good for soups and whip up a few batches of chicken broth so you’ve got a supply of immune boosting goodness for when sore throats strike. TRY THIS: 10 Make and Run Slow Cooker Recipes the Kids Will Really Go For
- Bunker down in the afternoons: is there anything better that lazy afternoons in autumn – cups of tea and slices of cake, good books and colouring books, warm sunlight and music in the background. Sounds a little too idyllic? Perhaps throw a few squabbling children into the mix but truly, this scenario is possible! And autumn is the perfect time to make a habit of it. Make Saturday afternoons your “let’s laze about till dinner” day and I promise you, you’ll look forward to it every week!
Images: Jodi Wilson
