Picking apples with my son
I’ll concede that summer is fun, except when it’s too hot but in so far as the four seasons are concerned, Autumn, in my opinion is by far the best time of the year!
There are just so many things to love about the fall. From ideal weather conditions (Sept/Oct) to celebrating the harvest, to the brilliant colours of seasonal change, autumn is the time of year I’ve always looked forward to the most.
From a family perspective, there is so much to do in the autumn as well. Already this summer my family and I have gone apple picking (trust me, it’s like picking candy off a tree), taken a scenic walk along one of the many hiking trails nearby and we’ve visited a farm that builds giant 10 acre corn mazes that have identifiable artwork when seen from the sky. This year, Coopers Farm near Zephyr, Ontario created the Toronto Blue Jays logo and the intricacies of the design had my family and I lost for almost an hour. We also tried to find the lost season of possibilities promised us this season by Blue Jays management, but alas it was nowhere to be found.
My wife and I firmly believe in the importance of immersing our children in nature as much as possible. By visiting farms regularly and celebrating in harvest festivals, we have the opportunity to teach them about the relationship between the food we eat and the places they are grown. It builds appreciation and understanding as well as a sense of responsibility in that the ecosystems which we exist in needs to be protected.
Even more than that, getting out in the fall allows us to discover some pretty awesome things. Case in point is perhaps the most awesome pumpkin(s?) we’ve ever seen when searching through the pumpkin patch at Coopers. These conjoined pumpkins had us immediately drawn to them and it was worth every penny of the $4 we paid to the local farmer to take them home and create what will likely be the most fun we’ve ever had in carving a pumpkin for Halloween.
The most awesome conjoined pumpkins ever!
Those who lament the loss of summer do so at the expense of missing out on a brilliant and enjoyable time of year. With so much to do outside, and with winter soon coming, I hope you’ll all decide to spend as much time outside this fall as a family as you can.
Personally, I’d be curious to know about your own family fall traditions, so if you’d like to share them with me, please do so in the comments below.
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