Fall is here! Summer has wrapped up its final days and left for warmer climes, to do whatever it is that summers do when they aren’t, well, summering…

With the departure of the hotter weather, fall has come in, and brought with it some cooler temperatures, crisper nights, and a chill that feels like it could hang around for a while.

After a year in Florida, where we had no winter, and walked in the water in the Gulf of Mexico on Christmas Day last year, we are ready for this change.

My daughters have pulled out the hoodies and scarves. My wife and I have unpacked the sweaters and jackets, and the younger kids are having a great time trying on clothes they had no idea they had.

With the onset of fall comes a whole new flurry of activities that you can do with your family. Here are a few ideas that you can enjoy with your kids.

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• Pumpkin Patches – These have sprung up all over the country, and to see the posts generated on Facebook, they’ve become a part of our cultural heritage in no time flat. I have no recollection of these things from when I was a kid. But every new parent seems to be posting pics of their child’s “first pumpkin patch outing.” Go with it. It’s fun. Pumpkins are cheap. Bring home a few decorations, carve a pumpkin or two, snap some photos, and enjoy the day with your kids.
• Corn Maze – Whether you choose the “haunted” variety or not, these can be fun. The concept is simple. Some farmer, with nothing better to do with his corn fields, has mapped out a maze in it with a tractor. Your job is to find your way through it. This is a fun activity with kids of all ages.
• Rake And Run – Know some older people from your church or neighborhood that need some help raking leaves? Organize your kids and a few friends, arm them with rakes, and arrive unannounced. Rake the leaves into a huge pile for burning or for bagging and then move onto the next location. Try to take your “victims” by surprise. Take no payment.
• Camp Out – Pitch a tent in the backyard or find a local campground. Either way, getting out into the outdoors for a night or two is a great way to spend tie with your kids. The fun you can have talking and laughing while you’re camping will be memories that last forever.
• Take A Hike – If you aren’t able to go camp, take a hike. Or even while you are camping, for that matter. A hike can be in the woods, along a river, or it can be an urban hike, through your community or town. If you want to make it extra exciting, take along a list for a scavenger hunt and see what you can find along the way.
• Go Tailgating – Not on the highway… Go to a football game, high school, college, or pro, and bring along a small grill, a cooler full of drinks, and enjoy some time together before the game starts. Not only will you share some good junk food, this can also be a time to share some of the basics of the game with your children, or through around a football for a while too.
• Build A Bonfire – A bonfire in the backyard with hotdogs and s’mores is one of my kids’ favorite things to do. We circle up a few camp chairs or lawn chairs, snack, watch the fire, the sparks, the stars, and simply enjoy the company of each other.
• Go To A Fall Festival – Most towns have one, usually on a Saturday. Caramel apples, craft booths, games and activities all make for an enjoyable time with one or more of your kids, or the whole family.
• Hay Ride – If you have access to this, a hayride is a really fun fall event. The concept is simple. You simply ride around on a trailer filled with hay. But the fun, the laughter, the time together is priceless.

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These are just a few ideas that you can do with your kids this fall. There are tons more, and the only limits are your creativity. So put on the old thinking cap, ask your kids for suggestions, and then go do some fun fall activities with your kids.

Be deliberate, Dad!

There are several fun things to do on this list, but it’s not exhaustive. What would you add to this list? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.