September has been a busy month for us with special birthdays and lots going on so I am very happily looking forward to the change of pace that October will bring. I am loving the crisp mornings and cosy evenings; we are all fans of the season in our family and make sure we get out and about to make the most of it.

Kids are Bonkers for Conkers! Any trip to the park or woodland walk is an opportunity to collect conkers. The littluns are a bit young for a good old fashioned game of take-your-eye-out conkers so we use them for arts and crafts. Have a quick search on Pinterest for ideas and you’ll soon use up the epic stash the kids will have collected!

Look out for pinecones too. We like to gather pinecones in readiness for Christmas crafts. Glue, glitter and a bit of ribbon and we have homemade decorations for the tree- and the smaller ones are perfect for present tags.

While we’re on the subject of seasonal arts and crafts, Kew Gardens is great for an Autumn walk (and to gather supplies). Leaf rubbing, leaf printing, an Autumn collage – gather bits and pieces that have fallen (don’t pick anything) and use them to create a masterpiece. Kew Gardens is lovely in the Autumn, the colours are stunning and there are sixteen new art works to discover in the landscape (October 2018).

Pumpkins are a big thing in our family too, pumpkin carving, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie…yum! We love taking the littluns to the pumpkin patch at Crockford Bridge Farm in Surrey as it is a great experience. Not only do you pick the pumpkin you want (and take some good insta pics amongst the assortment of squashes!) you can enjoy pumpkin carving, pop up food, immersive theatre, face painting and a playground. We’ve been going for the last few years and we’ll be heading there again after 6th October when the pumpkin sales starts.

The last weekend in October and first weekend in November brings Halloween and bonfire night – specific blogs to come on these – both are wonderful opportunities for the littluns to wrap up warm, drink hot chocolate and enjoy being out after dark- what a treat!

Enjoy, Amy x