Inexpensive Fall Fun For the Whole Family | The Examiner News

Dagmar, founder of Dagmar's momsense

Can you believe it?s already October? This summer just flew by me, and I?m determined to slow down and smell the pumpkin this season.

My son just started kindergarten, so he?s not home for the better part of the day.

We are both still adjusting to that big change, and I?m looking for ways to make our time together extra special.

Here are a few activities I?m looking forward to do in Westchester with my family this autumn:

A Hike and Picnic at Turkey Mountain

The Turkey Mountain trail in Yorktown (right across from the Peter Pratts Inn on Route 118) is the ideal hike to do with kids, and the payoff is stunning: on a clear day, you can see all of Westchester and even New York City from this spot, the highest point in Westchester.

We hiked Turkey Mountain with our son for the first time when he was only 3 1/2 years old, and he did beautifully. He needed a little lift from Daddy on the way down a few times, but a year later he hiked it all by himself.

Fall weather is so beautiful, so pack up a few snacks and water on a nice day and head outside to Turkey Mountain! It?s a lot of fun, an opportunity to teach your child about nature and the seasons, and a great exercise for the whole family.

Take the Train and Have Breakfast or Lunch in Cold Spring

Want to surprise your child with a train ride? Our son is a train enthusiast, so he loves taking the train along the Hudson River. We catch the train at the Croton Harmon station and get off at one of my favorite places: the charming, historic town Cold Spring.

After breakfast at the new Hudson Hil?s Restaurant & Market, my favorite part begins: while my husband and son take a walk down the street to see the river, I get to roam the cute, little antique stores along the main street for an hour. And when we?ve all had enough, we head back home on the train.

Easy Crafts With Fall Leaves

When was the last time you sat down with your child and made a craft? Now that the leaves are changing colors to that amazing yellow and dark red, take advantage of the autumn foliage!

Why not pick a few of them during a walk and use them for craft projects? I like taking a walk on the bike trail in Baldwin Place because after it I can walk across the the street for a coffee, hot chocolate, and a treat at Mirabella Cafe.

Here are just a couple of craft ideas with fall leaves:

1. Put a leaf on a table, cover it with paper, and have your child crayon over the leave so that a leaf magically appears on the paper. Repeat the same thing with other leaves and crayon colors to fill the page. Maybe even use that page and make a nice cards out of it for the grandparents.
2. Dry and press a few leaves in between book pages for a few days and then glue them to paper or a box. Get creative with dry pasta, glitter, stickers (just cut the pretty pictures off of the free address stickers you get mailed), and other materials ? you can find all kinds of fun craft supplies at the dollar store.

Have fun this fall!

Dagmar Bleasdale is the founder of imPROOF and writes the popular blog Dagmar?s momsense. She makes sense of motherhood, natural birth, breastfeeding, attachment parenting, frugal and green living, home decorating, life in Westchester, and her addiction to Twitter (16,000+ followers).

{photo credit Dagmar Bleasdale and lovelydesign.blogspot.com}

Source: http://www.theexaminernews.com/2011/10/inexpensive-fall-fun-for-the-whole-family/

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