10 Reasons Autumn Is the Best Time of Year for Outdoor Adventures.
We firmly believe Autumn is the best time of year, especially for families with little ones. With our forests, parks and gardens transforming into beautiful shades of reds, golds and rich browns and an abundance of sensory opportunities like kicking leaves and jumping in muddy puddles, Autumn is the best time to get outdoors and spend time together in nature.
Together with our friends at Micro Scooters, we’ve put together a guide to the Autumn season, with our top 10 reasons why we believe it’s the best time of year for outdoor adventures.
Muddy Puddles are on a mission to connect our growing explorers with nature by designing excellent quality, sustainable clothing that protects them in all weathers, is kind to our planet and the people who make them. Micro Scooters are the number 1 scooter brand in the UK, renowned for designing and engineering scooters for all the family that are built to last, built to outlast.
1. Nature Hunting
Autumn is a brilliant time of year to see wildlife, as nature has one last burst of energy before Winter arrives. Head to your local forest, woodland, park or nature reserve and see how many animals you can spot. Winter birds like thrushes, waders and waterfowl begin to arrive, weird and wonderful funghi emerge from the forest floor, small mammals (like squirrels, hedgehogs and mice) start collecting berries and nuts for the Winter, deer rutting begins where stags compete to show off and establish dominance.
2. Autumn Colour
The colour that takes over our landscapes in the Autumn is unbeatable – rich shades of red, gold and brown fill our forests, and leaves fall from the trees, allowing children to kick their way through them and jump in leaf piles for the ultimate sensory experience. Little ones will also love collecting leaves and turning them into works of art.
3. Puddle Jumping
One of our favourite Autumn activities for children has to be jumping in muddy puddles! Autumn is the perfect time for this, with drizzly days and cooler weather. Make sure you take along a good puddle suit, a pair of waterproof trousers, and a pair of wellies to avoid soggy legs.
4. Build a Den
Den building is a brilliant Autumn activity for children of all ages. Building a woodland den is an excellent team-building activity that can be enjoyed anywhere at any time. Encourage them to work and build the den all together - they can move and lift the materials with one another, explore the space, interact with nature and learn how to negotiate, problem solve, manage and work as a team. Have a look at our Top 5 Tips for Building the Ultimate Den.
5. Scavenger Hunt
A great way to encourage children to go for an Autumnal walk is to incorporate a scavenger hunt – The Woodland Trust has a brilliant Autumn Spotting Sheet that you can print out and take with you. They’ll have a great time searching for conkers, acorns, leaves, chestnuts, berries and seeds, ticking them off as they go along.
6. Scooter Rides
The best way to get children outdoors this Autumn is to take their scooter along on your next family walk. They’ll love the thrill of whizzing along with the wind in their hair, and riding their scooter is good for their balance, confidence, and motor skills. Micro Scooters are the best choice for the ultimate 3-wheel scooter, with a huge range of designs including personalised decks, light-up wheels and fun accessories.
7. Make a Hedgehog House
Autumn is the perfect time for building a hedgehog house. They start looking for a safe place to hibernate during winter and need our help. This is a fun activity that children will love getting involved in, and in exchange, the hedgehogs will help keep your garden free of slugs and other unwanted guests. Take a look at our guide to building a hedgehog house using a cardboard box, twigs leaves, etc that you find in your garden.
8. Conker Crafts
Make sure that you keep hold of those shiny conkers that your little ones pick up on your family walk – there are so many brilliant conker crafts you can do that will keep them busy for hours. From rolling them around in paint to using modelling clay to turn them into snails, the opportunities are endless! Take a look at our favourite 7 Conker Crafts for Children, and start collecting conkers.
9. Apple Picking
Fresh, delicious apples are in season now, so don't miss out! Across the UK, there are plenty of spots where you can pick your own. While they make a perfect healthy snack, we especially love using them to create homemade apple juice (check out our ultimate apple juice recipe here!)
10. Watch an Autumn Sunset
During Autumn, the days become shorter, meaning sunset is around 5-7 pm each night. It’s a great opportunity to get little ones outside before bedtime and watch the sunset together. In the autumn months, dry, cooler air moves in from the north, and more colours make it through our eyes without getting scattered by water molecules or other airborne particles. This allows for beautiful, vivid sunsets that can look bright red, orange, yellow, pink, and even sometimes purple.
Many thanks to Muddy Puddles for writing this guest blog for us. Some amazing ideas are here to keep everyone entertained outside during Autumn, come rain or shine.