Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year, showcasing yellow and orange leaves, stunning sunflowers, colorful chrysanthemums, and chubby orange pumpkins. It’s also the perfect time for field trips, since temperatures are cooler and summer crowds have gone.
For inspiration, try some of these homeschool family favorites.
Halloween Decoration Cruise
More and more people are decorating their properties for Halloween. When our kids were young, we would often pile into the car for a Halloween decoration cruise. In Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, the residents put on a show like no other: giant ghosts and skeletons, simmering caldrons, and everything creepy, as well as spooky deck porches and lit-up front yards.Great Lakes area residents should consider taking a cruise through the Halloween Capital of the World, Anoka, Wisconsin. Anoka hosts an annual Halloween House Decorating Contest. As you cruise along, take photos of the spooktacular scenes and vote for your favorites.
Open Gate Farm Tours
An open gate farm tour is just that; owners open their gates to the public for free.Kathleen Fields, owner of Flint Hill Farm Educational Center, a 27-acre farm in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, hosts a mega-tour; visitors can watch a cow-milking demonstration; interact with cows, horses, chickens, goats, pigs, sheep, and ducks; enjoy an old-fashioned tractor ride around the farm; taste some of the farm’s delicious homemade cheeses and smoothies; take a pony ride; and so much more.
Some farms offer a hayride to their pumpkin patch, and some larger farms challenge you to navigate through a tricky corn maze.
Have you ever met an Alpaca up close and personal? Alpacas are gentle, social, and curious animals. Visit Smith Mountain Lake Farm in Hardy, Virginia, home to 70 alpaca residents from superior bloodlines, and enjoy a sweet, soft hug and cuddle while feeding these beauties.
Raptor Hot Spots
Raptors such as bald eagles, hawks, falcons, kestrels, ospreys, and more migrate thousands of miles each fall to warmer climates in southern North America, South America, and Central America. These majestic birds are fascinating to watch as they soar and glide on the breeze.
Where can you see such sky-high acrobatics? Visit the Birds and Blooms website for a list of eight prime viewing locations or hot spots across the United States. We’ve visited Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, and it’s awe-inspiring. Consider these optimal viewing tips: Visit on a partly sunny day with some clouds and moderate northwest wind speeds (15–20 miles per hour), dress in layers and comfortable hiking shoes, have water and snacks handy, and don’t forget binoculars.
Fall Festivals
The beautiful fall season sets the stage for festivals far and wide. Throughout the country, families are happily wandering around music, scarecrow, and harvest festivals, gazing in wonder at hot air balloon launches, celebrating garlic in Connecticut and avocados in California, and gathering by the thousands to Mojave Desert’s RISE festival, where participants release sky lanterns.In New Hope, Pennsylvania, homemade scarecrows vying for prizes dot the pathways all around Peddler’s Village. Stroll the paths and vote for your favorite. The town also offers a scarecrow-building workshop for $40; participants receive a kit containing ample straw, clothing, and accessories.
The Beach
Autumn is the perfect time to take a trip to the beach. The beach offers some amazing perks in the fall; there are fewer crowds, hotel rooms and houses for rent are much less expensive in the off-season (late September through the winter, depending on the town), the weather is typically more comfortable but still warm enough to take a dip into the ocean if you so desire, and most shops and vendors on the boardwalk are still open.Fancy a family bike ride? Many towns such as Ocean City, Maryland, have bicycle rental shops on their boardwalk, where families can rent surreys, fun cycles that have three wheels and steer by leaning your body, tandem bikes, and regular top-quality bikes.
Historic Sites
Most national parks offer a Junior Park Ranger program. During a visit, kids complete activities, share their experiences with a park ranger, and receive a patch and a certificate.Mesa Verde National Park, in Colorado, home to the Pueblo’s cliff dwellings and featuring thousands of archeological sites to explore, offers free tours on National Public Lands Day (Sept. 28) and the weekend of Veterans Day. Go camping at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, and you may catch a glimpse of the spectacular Northern Lights.
Bostonians and nearby residents can walk the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail and visit 16 prestigious sites. Or take an authentic horseback ride through Gettysburg National Military Park or ride the mule train down the skinny, winding paths leading to the Grand Canyon, if you dare.
Reward yourself with the “Most Awesome Homeschool Parent Award” and end each week with Field Trip Fridays. A fun, educational outing is a great way to end the school week and jumpstart the weekend.
