Getting Your Home Ready for Fall
Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Check your medicine cabinet for expired medicines.
If you have ceramic or clay pots, bring them indoors. If they are too big, empty them, or they can crack when they freeze.
Take in outdoor cushions before they get wet and freeze.
Clean your air conditioner and cover the top so that falling leaves don’t get stuck inside.
If you have a window unit, clean it and prepare a place to store it over the winter. Schedule a time to take it in now if you will need to ask for assistance from a friend.
Re-stock your emergency kit.
Re-seed your lawn. Plan out when the right time for seeding your lawn is for your climate and make sure to get in all your favorite backyard activities before it becomes off-limits for children and pets.
Plant your spring bulbs.
Getting Your Car Ready for Fall
Summer was fun, and now your car is showing how much fun you had. Once you’re done with sand for the year, it’s time for a thorough interior cleaning. Vacuum your car from top to bottom. Take out the kids’ car seats and remove the lining to throw it in the washing machine. Hose the seats down to get them thoroughly clean. If you can, treat yourself to a super interior clean job at the car wash. It makes for a well-deserved twice-a-year treat.
Scheduling Fall
Don’t let fall fly by without getting in all the activities (and yummies) that will make this season special for you. Make a list at the start of the season and keep it up somewhere visible so that you can use it to guide you as you schedule plans with friends.
Schedule your holiday time-off from work now, before you get edged out by your co-workers.
Plan your October movie watch list and check which ones will be rented, streamed or purchased, and from where.
If you’ll be hosting or helping, start planning your Thanksgiving menu now. If you want to experiment with something new this year, make a miniature version of it ahead of time, so you know exactly what you’re doing on the big day.
When planning your flu shot or other Fall vaccines, make sure to leave a day to recuperate if you tend to get side effects. And don’t plan a day of mountain biking or flag football when you’ll have a sore arm.
Planning your Thanksgiving? Check out this page for activities, recipes, and more!
Fall with Kids
Toss those sand toys into the dishwasher to get all the nooks and crannies. But don’t pack them away yet! They make for great fun in the snow, too!
Set up a cozy homework station and plan what your children’s after-school routine will look like. Try creating a checklist and laminating it so your children can mark it off with a dry-erase marker each afternoon.
Time to clean out that sandbox! By now it has probably accumulated plenty of leaves, twigs and maybe even bugs (hopefully not). Give it a good scrub before the weather gets too cold. Store it away, or, if you have space, bring it inside and turn it into a sensory table for the cold months.
Don’t forget to get in just one more s’mores night. Now that mosquitoes are less aggressive and sunset isn’t an hour past kids’ bedtimes, early fall is actually the perfect time for this supposedly summer-only activity.
Heading into the Great Outdoors with little ones this fall? Bring along this scavenger hunt on a clipboard to help keep them from complaining that they’re bored. Or, use make this cardboard vase or collection bag.
Check to see if your children have outgrown their winter hats, coats, gloves, snow mittens, snow boots, or snow pants. Get a head-start on shopping (or swapping with other parents) so that you are all prepared when that first cold-snap comes.
Teach Grow Sow 