That’s right folks mid-term break is looming and if you are like every other parent on the planet, you’ll be wanting to keep those kids occupied all week.
You may be thinking: “I got this. I made it through Summer and that was a lot longer!”. Well, October ain’t no “pap your kids out the back in a swimsuit with a paddling pool and everything will be alright” kinda season. At least, not in Scotland (they’d probably turn blue) or Canada (those guys are building snowmen).
So, what on Earth can we do in the October break?
1. Pumpkin Picking
It’s October! Get your Pumpkins in! Pumpkin Picking is great fun for the whole family, especially when you get to see the range of pumpkins places have to offer!
I’d say Arnprior Farm is the most popular patch in Scotland, located in Stirling. Then Craigie’s Farm just outside Edinburgh for all you East Coasters. If neither of these suit you, a simple Google search should be able to locate your nearest patch.
Be warned, if it’s a real farm, take WELLIES, A CHANGE OF CLOTHES and A PLASTIC BAG FOR DIRTIES.
I will admit we won’t be picking this year as we have Kieran. He is still in a pram and the fields are definitely not pram friendly! Arnprior have wheelbarrows you can hire but it’s first come first serve so we’re foregoing the Pumpkins this year and doing activity 2 instead!
2. Apple Picking
Pumpkins aren’t the only thing you can Harvest at this time of year don’t you know!
It’s upto you whether you hit the nearest Orchard or grow your own apples.
The only widely known place to pick apples in Scotland (that I can find) is Craigie’s Farm outside Edinburgh but if you know of any near you then please leave a comment.
If you haven’t got an Apple Tree yet, don’t fret you can plant it now and pick your own next year. Apple Trees grow fast and even though ours is just a baby (planted in April) we still managed to reap 7 apples from it. That’s plenty for activity 3.
3. Caramel Apples
Oh this one’s a goody! I haven’t actually made caramel apples with the kids yet so I’m sharing my favourite Pinterest recipe with you instead until the October week when I’ll update this post.
Try and keep an apple or two spare for activity 4.
4. Halloween Decorations
Last year, we made hanging pumpkins. It was a great activity for both parent and child because we could each do different bits of the activity.
Wondering what you’ve to do with those spare apples?
Grab some orange paint and print some mini pumpkins! If paint is too messy, why not try activity 5.
5. Rubbings
This is such a simple activity but fun and interesting too. Grab some crayons, some paper, go to the nearest tree, hold your paper up against it and start rubbing your crayon over it. Rubbings create a 2D version of whichever texture you are rubbing. Doing this can actually teach you a lot about nature.
However, if it’s dreich and drab and you’d much rather be inside, you should consider collecting some leaves and rubbing those instead.
6. Foraging
While you are collecting those leaves, try collecting other natural bits and bobs. Your nearest park should have anything from acorns, brambles, pine needles to sycamore seeds (those little doodas that look like wings).
The Woodland Trust have some great outdoor activities that you and the kids can do while out and about.
7. Conkers
Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about Conkers (those spikey green balls that grow on Chestnut Trees). I used to love collecting these when I was a kid, back then we opened them up in popped them on a string. Then we would “battle” each other with them.
They do have a much handier use now though and that’s keeping the spiders away! They are a good natural repellant.
8. Autumn Box
Once you’ve collected all your Autumn nature objects it’s fun to store them in a box. This is our Autumn Sensory Box, just for fun we like to open it and have a rummage, a squeeze, a crunch, a sniff, a taste (on the odd, perhaps, accidental occasion) and we get to know nature a little better. This one is great for babies.
For some more sensory fun check out activity 9.
9. Pumpkin Slime
So before you carve your Pumpkin, what do you do with the insides? You could make Pumpkin Soup and indulge OR you could make Pumpkin Slime!
Click on the pic above for our favourite recipe.
Slime is so on trend for kids just now. They’ll have so much fun making it and then they can even play with it. The best part is you can store it inside your pumpkin until it’s time to carve.
10. Play Outside
Trade that swimsuit for a puddle suit and the flip flops for wellie boots. No matter what the weather it is okay to get outside! It is okay to get muddy! It is okay to explore!
As much as you might hate the clean up, letting the little ones get mucky is where it’s at. There are ways to make the clean up easier, for instance: put them in old clothes, a puddle suit is a great investment, have a towel ready for each person coming inside, have a “boots off at the door” rule and above all join in and have fun!
You can also visit https://particleparenting.co.uk/2019/10/05/half-term-activities-fun-fast-and-free/
Enjoy Your Break
This guide may not totally fill your week but it has at least given you food for thought. Now go and enjoy your break. Let me know in the comments what you guys get up to!
Can’t wait to try some of these! X
Let me know how you get on!
We’ll definitely be picking pumpkins this year, we went for the first time last year and really loved it! Great list, I’m *almost* looking forward to it!
That’s great! Is there a patch quite near you?
I love this list. It’s similar to ours but I’m loving the pumpkin slime idea!
Kids will love that x
Oh I’ll need to go check yours out! We used to do soup but it always went to waste as nobody really liked it so instead of wasting the innerds we thought slime was better!
Great list of activities! I have never heard of rubbings – what a simple and fun thing to do. Our kids love to do that with specific designs but I never thought of doing that on the tree itself. We will definitely be trying that one!
Aww really? I’m glad I could give you a new idea then!
It’s Spring time here in Australia and the only pumpkin picking going on, ever, is for eating. We love our pumpkin here in a roast dinner or a salad. I don’t like the cold weather at all and am so glad it’s finally getting warmer. Enjoy your Autumn!
Anne xx
I can’t wait for half term, we’ve got lots of Halloween themed fun planned. Thanks for the tips, that Halloween slime looks like fun!
We’ve done quite a few of these already….arrrgghhh we’ve peaked too soon! 😂
I absolutely love these ideas, they are all great ways for children to connect to nature and appreciate the changing seasons. I’d forgotten how much I used to love doing bark rubbings!