Autumn {Half Term} Bucket List

I may say this every year but I am not a big fan of Halloween.

What I am a big fan of is making the most of the season and time that we are in. Whilst also not being naive to the fact that Halloween is everywhere so you can’t exactly avoid or ignore it can you? Especially with children. What you can do is hone in on all the lovely (non scary) aspects and do them to the max. To find what you like about a season, or a ‘holiday’ (is Halloween technically a holiday in the UK?) and make it your own.

Essentially that’s the pumpkin spice and all things nice part. The cosy knits, candles and crisp sunshine with the excuse to hunker down of an evening with a glass of red and a good book. 

Half Term

Halloween aside, this half term may not be filled with the adventures of years gone by (thanks 2020) or indeed the mini adventures we had planned this year (goodbye glamping in Wales over Halloween (good avoidance tactics there) and a child free night away to a Michelin star hotel/restaurant that is now in a tier 3). However I am sure we can still make the most of the time we have from home and to have an autumn bucket list is always a good idea for us. 

It kind of means when we are ‘just’ at home we can say we relished it. Plus the ever popular satisfaction of actually ticking off a list, who doesn’t love that? √

It is also only the second week Eddy has had off this year (he works in an essential industry) and the last one we were in Scotland so we want to ensure we all take our time, enjoy spending simple valuable family time together aswell as allowing everyone to recoup after the longest and most challenging/different first term of school. 

So this list is, as usually is the case with my bucket lists, full of ordinary moments made special just by realising the magic in them. 

Autumn Bucket List 2020

• Take an Autumn Walk {with hot chocolate}

Walk anywhere you choose, notice the colours around you, collect leaves and conkers, jump in said leaves. Basically all the autumn cliches that are cliches for a reason and make childhood that little bit more magic. Take a flask of hot chocolate and you become the hero of the hour. 

• Apple Bobbing 

What’s the worst that can happen right?

• Family Board Games

We love board games as a family and usually play every night with Eva when Roma is in bed and sometimes as a family before but it will be nice to make time in the day to take our time and raid the overflowing gems cupboard. 

• Family Bike Ride

Now we can all ride bikes (Roma has just learnt and I purchased my first bike of my adult life) it will be our first time ride together. Pretty special if you ask me. 

• Watch A Halloween Movie

We have never actually done this before so any non scary child appropriate suggestions would be very much appreciated, I am thinking Hocus Pocus but its been so long since I have seen it I might need to give it a pre watch! 

• Torch Lit Walk

There is nothing better than an after dinner walk, and this again is not just for summer. A dark walk making it feel like an adventure with torch in hand can be just as exciting. 

• Visit a Pumpkin Patch √

We may already have been ahead on this one having visited last week the day it opened! Keen much? Well you do have to make the most of the weather right now and we didn’t want to miss out on all the pumpkin the world and his wife want do we? 

• Carve Pumpkins 

Our pumpkins currently sit in a patient line outside having been washed and awaiting their carving fate. We have, over the years, had many designs from Pinterest worthy scenes, melted wax crayons to paint and glitter and the simple but ever effective pumpkin face and tea light. The possibilities are endless and I love letting the children get creative choosing their own. After the mess that is scooping out the insides that is. Always so much fun.

• Find a New Pumpkin Recipe 

It doesn’t seem quite right to let the pumpkins go to waste and I certainly do not want to teach the children they are merely disposable Halloween props which have been lovingly grown and nurtured. So lets find a yummy recipe to enjoy them. I am thinking soup and I might even have a go at a pumpkin pie. 

• Read Books By Candlelight 

There isn’t much better than snuggling under a blanket together with your favourite books. Do so with a hot drink or milk, with candles around as the rain batters against the window or the autumn sunshine streams through. 

• Bake Tarte Tatin or Apple Pie

We never really need an excuse to bake but with bake offs late return to our screens we have been making sure we have a home baked treats every week.

• Halloween Crafts

The girls can easily make light of making stuff from the cupboard of craft goodness. We do however this year have some specific craft kits we bought after Halloween last year in Sainsbury’s. Ever thankful for 2019 me who did not see 2020 coming! 

Some have already been made and littered lovingly distributed, around the house by the girls and I have to say these are my favourite. 

• Use Acrylic Paints

This was a first lockdown purchase that we have never really gotten around to using so this week is the one! I feel the orange, yellow, red and brown will be taking centre stage in these pictures.

• Visit A National Trust

If we can book a place and the weather holds out. I always like to explore somewhere new but an old favourite right now would definitely do. 

• Put On A Harvest Festival

What is the best part of harvest festival at school? Why the songs of course. So after missing out this year (they did of course still have a collection which is donated to the YMCA) we thought we would make our own, songs, actions, word sheets and all. 

• Pumpkin Spiced Play Dough

Home-made pumpkin spiced and dyed orange play dough. Which shockingly I must admit I have never made before. With the conkers, sticks and leaves we have so far collected on walks and that lovingly live by the front door or in pots around the house, too precious to remove! I thought maybe we could make use of them after all, Pinterest style! 

• Have An Autumn Picnic

Yes you read that correct, picnics are not just for summer days but done right (with a lot of warm clothes and hot drinks maybe even hot water bottle or hand warmers to take away the chill) and an autumn picnic could be just what you never knew you needed. On a crisp autumn day that is, not the wet floor and pouring rain kind! 

• Stay Up Late

We are sticklers for bedtime (mainly to switch off and fit in our entire adult life in the two hours before we are too tired and retreat to bed) so this will be very exciting. Maybe we will coincide it to watch the Great British Bake Off which they love, a special treat as they usually watch it a day later after school. 

• Face Paints

Ever a bucket list crowd pleaser in this house!

• Garden Fire Pit & Sparklers

Very weather dependant of course and I will have to be honest it isn’t looking favourable currently. But if there’s a dry spell once the sun goes down (about 4pm these days) that is where you will find us. 

• Leaf art

Aswell as the play dough we’ve got to make use of all those gorgeous leaves collected.

• Rainy Walk

I don’t think this will be difficult to manage this week! Waterproof and wellies at the ready.

• Window Display

Without the usual trick or treating this year we are going to make a pumpkin display in the window in the hope that it can be spotted and enjoyed by passers by.

• Dress Up For Halloween 

Let’s be honest it’s the most fun part is it not?

• Trick Or Treating 

Following on from above we said to the girls we may go for a Halloween walk. When they spot a decorated house we will drop a treat in their baskets; a sort of 2020 type trick or treating! Eva actually said it will be brilliant because she will be able to have everything she receives! (She is allergic to milk, eggs and pineapple so we usually have to go through her trick or treat bag with a fine tooth comb and replace all the items she can’t have). Or Eddy suggested a little scavenger hunt type thing at home, either way, we will not let them miss out on some family friendly dress up fun.

• Halloween Disco

We have a flashing disco ball, we have music and we can move our bodies with a plethora of party games from days gone by. Musical statues anyone?

• Make A Thankful List

Ok so this may have been inspired by the fall Thanksgiving of America and maybe its a little bit cheesy; but I feel like it’s a great tradition to get into. We’ll make a list of all the things we are thankful for this week. No pressure, just anything we want to add. Hopefully to help us all come out of this weird time thinking of all the things we got to do rather than the things we missed to on. 

• Sing Autumn Songs 

Who doesn’t like belting out a rendition of Autumn Leaves in your living room that takes you right back to that church/school hall of your youth as the voices echoed around the room and you suddenly realise you can still recall every word?

• Halloween Bath

We have brought the girls each a lush bath bomb. A cute spiced pumpkin and a black cat. We usually half bath bombs to get twice as much fun so that’s 4 baths! Some foam shaped pumpkins, ghosts and witch hats for them to stick to the side of the bath will complete it. Since the bathroom renovations we no longer have tiles. We do have a huge roll top bath with more than enough depth to stick them all around the edges though. Hours of entertainment. 

• Have Fun!

Obviously the most important.

 

So that’s our Autumn Bucket List.

Will we tick everything off? Almost certainly not.

Will we still have fun? My goodness I imagine so, and make a whole heap of memories along the way.

I hope you have a great half term whatever that looks like this year. Maybe this list has given you some ideas to make it special even if you too are at home. Let me know if it does.