My favourite season is Autumn. No other season engages all our senses, through our experiences other than autumn. Autumn is full of self-expression.
Autumn is a beautiful and elegant season boasting trees with warm colours of orange, brown, green, yellow, red and sometimes even pink or purple. The leaves gracefully float to the ground effortlessly in the breeze, to make a colourful carpet of leaves. There is just something majestic and inspiring when we look at a row of autumn trees. It is calling for us to be playful once more and have fun.
Autumn is a season to take our children outside for a leisurely walk. The days are cooler than summer and make it pleasant to walk outside. Autumn is full of self-expression and is full of teachable moments.
Take a stroll with me in the forest and let me engage your senses and fill your emotions with delight. The first thing we notice is the colourful carpet of leaves on the forest floor. Notice all the shapes of the leaves and all the different colours.
Walking through the leaves we hear the wonderful rustling, crunching sound that only leaves can make under our feet. There is just something so special about walking through leaves that fills our hearts. It is a fun activity to play in the leaves, run in the leaves kick them with your feet, then throw the leaves in the air and let them drift down over your head to the ground.
Dance and twirl in the leaves as they fall around you. Lie down in the leaves and watch how they effortlessly drift to the ground on the breeze. We catch the musty smell of some of the leaves that we only smell in autumn. It is an earthy smell. Beckoning us to plant some bulbs. Watch how the tree branches bend and sway in the wind. This is very relaxing. If the forest is filled with silence you might even hear the sound of the leaves falling on the breeze. In the USA they call the season fall, I fully understand the creative name. I have many cherished memories of the children at my playschool and our visits to the forest in autumn. The day was filled with joyful play and laughter.
When we watch the big trees swaying in the wind from side to side, we realise how flexible they are, yet we know how deep their roots are and how strong these roots make the trees. We realise how important a firm foundation is in our lives it keeps us stable and secure. It is important to make sure our children have a firm foundation to build upon as they grow too.
Nature always has something to teach us. Autumn teaches us to be willing to effortlessly let things go that no longer work for us. Autumn teaches us that change is a good thing and it happens all the time. This is a good lesson to teach our children.
Autumn is also the time for celebrating, the harvest summer has bought us. Thursday 25th of May 2023 is our day of Thanksgiving. It is a wonderful idea to invite family and friends around for a lovely meal. An evening of saying thank you to God for all the goodness He has provided for us. Thank you to our family and friends. I love celebrations. Thankfulness is a wonderful value to teach our children.
Apples remind me of autumn, especially the apple variety which is my favourite to eat and is called the Pink Lady. This apple only ripens after the first cold frost autumn brings. The cold frost brings out the beautiful pink colour of the apple. It is a wonderful time to bake apple crumble with the kids. This is a very simple apple crumble recipe but it is delicious, perfect for enjoying in autumn.
Simple Apple Crumble
Take 4 apples, peel and cut them into cubes
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
Place the apples in the bowl you wish to cook them in. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle them over the apple cubes.
Topping
3 1/2 Tablespoons of Flour
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 Tablespoons of butter
Place in another bowl and mix them to a crumbly texture. Sprinkle this on top of your
cubed apples. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream or cream or custard.
Delicious! The baking apple crumble will bring autumn into your home.
Autumn is also a time for comfort and warmth. A good feeling type of warmth; grab a
warm fluffy blanket and snuggle under it with your little one and enjoy a great autumn story together.
Autumn is indeed a season that engages all our senses and brings us to this precious present moment.
Autumn is a wonderful season to venture out into the forest with your children and go see for yourselves. Have an Autumn adventure and most of all play and have fun.
Autumn is after all the season that engages all our senses and brings us to this precious moment, the present. What an amazing gift?
