When leaves crunch beneath your feet and fall colors beckon you to the great outdoors, it's time to plan the perfect autumnal adventure with your grandchildren. Local orchards and pumpkin patches are ready to welcome once-a-year harvesters of all ages.
Why should you pursue apple- or pumpkin-picking with the kids? Not only does it get you exercising in all that fall splendor, but it's a great way to bond while you discover where your favorite foods come from. Better yet, you can create souvenirs of your adventure that will bring the autumn indoors for weeks to come.
Be Prepared Before You Pick
Before you go to a local orchard or pumpkin patch, do your homework. Though picking is usually an all-ages affair, you'll want to consider the physical abilities of your grandchildren when you seek out the perfect place for your fall festivities. Younger children will be more content with a short visit to a straightforward "you pick 'em" orchard, while older children will enjoy higher apple trees, longer stays and activities like hayrides, corn mazes and cider-house tours. You should also consider bringing a wagon or stroller for tots who tire easily. Many orchards and pumpkin patches now have Websites, and most will be glad to discuss special accommodations and scheduling with you over the phone.
A heavy rain shower can dampen anyone's fun, so check weather forecasts before you head out for your pickstravaganza. Kids and adults alike will work up a sweat shaking trees and hauling buckets, so pack light layers that protect against the cold but can be removed when the going gets hot. And don't let your own health and comfort fall to the wayside — if you're unable to sustain long periods of activity, you might prefer an orchard with shorter trees or a less lengthy stay at the pumpkin patch.
Play With Your Food
The fun of apple- and pumpkin-picking doesn’t have to end when you pull back into your driveway. While your cider is brewing and the scent of spiced pumpkin pie is wafting through the halls, why not use those leftover apples and squash for some fun fall crafts?
Kids old enough to handle a knife will have fun carving apples into stamps with a dull knife. Cut an apple in half horizontally, then carve a pattern into the fruit. A simple dip into some washable paint and a stamp onto some construction paper, and you can make fall-themed cards and pictures as keepsakes. Grandkids can also carve apples into scary faces and sculptures, then dip their apple sculptures into salt water, letting them dry into creepy wrinkled creations just in time for Halloween.
If you've found a doozy of a pumpkin, consider ditching the traditional jack-o'-lantern and let your grandkids paint the pumpkin with nontoxic paints. Bring out the button box and some pins to create cool designs on the outside. Younger children can create a gourd baby by gluing cotton balls to the top as hair, wrapping the gourd in a handkerchief and putting eyes, a nose and a mouth on their new "infant" with a marker. And try a pumpkin-seed-estimating contest. Set aside a prize for the winner to enjoy over a steaming slice of fresh apple pie.
Whether you spend all day in the orchards or just a few hours of quality time with your grandchildren, make sure to document the fall fun with a digital or disposable camera. After all, a picture of this year's orchard memories will outlast any crispy apple.
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