Tag Archives: Field Trip Friday

Fun Fall Outings for Young Kids

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the changing seasons and the many colors of fall. I’m lucky enough to live in the Midwest where there are plenty of orchards and pumpkin farms to visit this time of year. During the last month, our weekends have been completely packed with fall fun! Here is a recap of what fall outings have been the most fun for Buddy.

Apple Picking

picking-apples

We met up with some friends at an orchard and pumpkin farm at the end of September. Originally, I wasn’t planning to do apple picking with Buddy, but I’m so glad we did. He loved the train ride out to the orchard. (He’s very into tractors and trucks right now, so it was really fun to see a real tractor in action.) Buddy had so much fun helping us pull apples from trees! I didn’t think he would be able to eat a whole apple, but he actually ate an apple and a half! We had a blast.

Pumpkin Patch/Farm

goat-smile
We actually went to several different orchards/pumpkin patches with farm animals and family activities. Buddy absolutely loved seeing farm animals, and the farm we went to with a petting zoo was his favorite! He LOVES farm animals and has started to say names/sounds for different animals. He liked exploring pumpkins as well. The pumpkin farm we visited in mid October was very picked over, so if you plan to get a pumpkin, go early.

Fall Colors Hike

fall-walk

fall-walk-with-mom

Every year, Hubby and I take a fall colors road trip. Now that we have Buddy, we spend less time driving and hiking, but this is still an important fall activity for us. Buddy loved seeing all of the fall colors and playing with the leaves. He really enjoyed walking through the leaves as well. Buddy is too little to remember last fall, so everything is brand new to him. I tried to let him just sit in the grass and explore to his heart’s content.

Football Game

football-family

I have to admit, football isn’t an important fall activity for me. However, it is very important to Hubby and Buddy too. We took Buddy to two basketball games last year, but this fall was his first football game. Buddy enjoyed watching the people around him and the band too. We did have to pull out some of our airplane toys (see blog post here) to keep him entertained by the end of the game. It was a fun thing for us to do as a family, and I’m sure we’ll do it again next year.

Local Fall/Halloween Celebrations

cubs-costume

The zoos near us have fall celebrations, and it’s a fun excuse to go see the animals. (Have I mentioned how much Buddy loves farm animals? Between the farms and the zoo, we saw farm animals four weekends in a row!) Our town just had a Halloween celebration, and we had a blast seeing police cars and fire trucks. Buddy met several of his friends there, so that made everything even more fun for him.

Are there any other fun fall outings you suggest for a little one? Our weekends are mostly open between now and Thanksgiving, and I’d love more ideas for fall fun.

 

Field Trip Friday: Library and Farmers Market

My original plan for today’s Field Trip Friday was to go to see a children’s musician playing a lunchtime concert in a local park. However, when I saw the forecast called for temperatures in the 90s, I knew I needed another plan.

A couple towns away from us has a farmers market every Friday morning, which is located right next to the most amazing library I’ve ever seen. (It used to be my local library many years ago, and I miss it dearly.) Buddy and I went to check out the farmers market this morning before it got too hot, and then we went to play at the library.

Buddy is eating a fresh strawberry in the farmer's market.

Buddy eating a fresh strawberry in the farmers market.

It’s been years since I’ve been to a farmers market, and Buddy has never gone to one, so I was excited to go. My husband asked me to look out for some strawberries and rhubarb at the market. He loves making pies (he’s a keeper!), and he wants to make strawberry rhubarb pie this weekend. It didn’t take us too long to find what we needed, and we got some delicious cherry preserves as well.

Our farmers market purchases.

Our farmers market purchases.

After being out in the heat, we cooled off in the kids area of the library. This library has a huge play area for kids under age 5, and Buddy was so happy there. He had a great time with different types of blocks. He also had a lot of fun the big kids play.

Buddy could have played with these blocks for hours.

Buddy could have played with these blocks for hours.

Buddy would have spent much longer there, but unfortunately, we had to go home for his next meal and nap time. We will definitely do the farmers market and library combination on another Friday this summer. Next time, I’ll try to leave earlier to allow more play time at the library.