Autumn Bucket List

Autumn is my favourite season!

The cool after the relentless heat of summer is balm to my soul. The golds, reds and yellows, the softer sunlight and the promise of the pleasures of winter are all things to be delighted in! But then I do like any season change, it reminds me that not everything lasts forever, a cue to relish the gifts of today, and also a reminder that the seasons will come round again and we do get second chances. But autumn is my favourite, and autumn play is high on my priority list! So we bucket list autumn as a tradition in our family. They provide meaning, safety, rhythm, expectation, they create memories, draw us closer together, provide moments of connection, comfort and allow us to breathe deep in a sense of our family’s identity. So in that context I give you some ideas to draw from. Not just to celebrate a beautiful change of season but also to enjoy each other, and maybe, start a new tradition!

• Pick your Own apples/fruit at a local orchard.

• Make an apple pie or apple crumble from scratch

• Buy a crazy pair of socks

• Fill a vase with autumn blooms

• Teach the kids how to make soup

• Take soup to a friend or neighbour in need

• Drink hot Chocolate, try a Peppermint, Orange or Chai one.

• Create an Autumn leaf mobile to hang

• Stick yarn bombing, wool wrapping

• Autumn Leaf treasure hunt drive

• Fill your home with Autumn scents

• Go to the Zoo

• Decorate for Autumn- get extra throws, cushions, candles out to cozy up your favourite space

• Watch an Autumn sun set

• Pack a picnic to enjoy at Mt Wilson

• Kick/Play in a pile of leaves

• Autumn leaf fight

• Autumn Walk at Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens

• Jump up and down in Muddy Puddles

• Try a new stew, slow cooker, soup recipe

• Buy Sunflowers

• Toast Marshmallows

• Donate food/blankets to a charity in anticipation of winter needs

• Autumn craft- Leaf rubbing, or shadow tracing in the late afternoon

Please don’t think that to benefit from traditions they need to be huge, difficult, pinterest worthy or expensive. Many of our traditions are things we have just spontaneously found we love to do and noticed that we do them year after year, organically becoming tradition. And the list above is made from a bunch of things the kids and I brainstormed as possibility. Some we do, some we don’t yet and many we may not get to this season at all. Use it as an inspiration for moments of connection! I hope you enjoy them.

Gillian xx