Nine Ways To Get Outside With Kids This Autumn

Fall’s crisp air and stunning colours make an energizing backdrop for outdoor adventures for kids lucky enough to live in or visit Headwaters. From farm outings and invigorating hikes to neighbourhood games and nature investigations, the options for staying outside all day – or at least until dinner – are endless. We’ve compiled a collection of nine free or low-cost ideas for all tastes and abilities. But don’t stop at the end of our list. Here’s hoping you – and the children you care for – will be inspired to keep up their outside interests all year long.

1. Off-road with the kids (safely, of course!)

Do you have a leaning tower of forlorn bicycles clogging the garage? Or maybe you’re tired of the same old neighbourhood trail. Plan a forest trail ride to get your wheels turning again. 

For tips on biking with youngsters, we spoke to local mountain biking enthusiast Ryan De Groote of Orangeville’s Ride With Ryan. If you’re heading out on your own, Ryan’s favourite local kid-friendly trails include the Mono Tract Forest located off Hurontario Street, north of 20 Sideroad. It features trails designed for mountain biking. Clear signage helps newer riders stay on track. 

When Ryan is leading a group, he often starts with a quick warmup and makes many stops at ponds, rivers, trees or other interesting landmarks. Online trail-riding sites, such as trailforks.com (search “Mono Tract”), offer detailed maps of routes to explore.

Ryan reminds parents and caregivers to be patient with children as they’re learning. Always wear a helmet, and ensure your brakes and gears are in good working order every time you ride.  ridewithryan.online

2. Find adventure on a local farm 

Maple Grove Farm and Market on Airport Road in Mulmur is nestled in fields of green and primed for harvest season with pumpkins galore and a seven-acre corn maze, all part of their annual fall festival, which runs from September 21 until the end of October. Be sure to enjoy a wagon ride to witness the vibrant foliage and hilly views, and visit the Highland cattle or feed the goats.

Their Halloween event, Boo Bash, adds a dash of spookiness to the proceedings on October 26. Other farms, including Downey’s Farm and Spirit Tree Estate Cidery, both in Caledon, also offer family-friendly experiences. Check out Field Notes for Autumn for more Halloween fun, and maplegrovefarm.ca.

3. Create a scavenger hunt 

Take advantage of the provincial parks and stretches of the Bruce Trail in our area by creating a scavenger hunt challenge. Research the types of trees you’re likely to encounter and see how many fallen leaves the kids can collect. Draft a simple checklist by borrowing reference books from your local library, scanning photos of the leaves you’d like to hunt for, and printing them. Be sure to pack a large resealable bag or envelope to hold the findings. Add an incentive: The one who finds the most leaves gets to choose where to eat afterward. Here are a few locations to consider. 

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park 

The “Forks” is a popular spot west off McLaren Road between Charleston Sideroad and Forks of the Credit Road in Caledon. It features sections of the Bruce Trail and opportunities to watch the Credit River rush by. Once you’re there, keep your eyes peeled for red maple, dogwood and black ash, and catch a peek at Cataract Falls from the Dominion Trail. ontarioparks.ca/park/forksofthecredit

Boyne Valley Provincial Park 

An expansive park offering some of the best views of the area, Boyne Valley features the Bruce Trail’s Boyne Valley Side Trail. Combine it with a section of the main trail for an 8-kilometre loop. Boyne Valley is located on Prince of Wales Road in Mulmur, north of Highway 89. The spectacular 360-degree views of Dufferin County after taking the 70m side trail to see Murphy’s Pinnacle Lookout, a remnant of a glacial shelf of ages past, make it worth the climb. Watch for white oak, black maple and beech trees. ontarioparks.ca/park/boynevalley

Elsewhere on the Bruce Trail (plus badges)

The Bruce Trail offers its own scavenger hunts, too. In Dufferin, visit dufferinbrucetrailclub.org/scavenger-hike to register and map your route. The organization also encourages children to collect a range of badges, such as the Young Hiker Badge from the Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club, and the Nature Hunter Badge from the Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club (the latter was created by the students at Belfountain Public School). To learn more, search “badges” at brucetrail.org

4. Spend an afternoon watching planes take flight

The Brampton Flight Centre, located off McLaughlin Road in south Caledon, offers a variety of inspiring and educational activities for aviation buffs of all ages, including a guided tour of the airport. Visitors can take in some history at the Great War Flying Museum – where they’ve got fighter planes from the First World War, such as a German Fokker triplane and a French Nieuport 28 biplane. 

That said, the very best option may be simply to look up and watch small planes land or take flight. Follow with a BLT at the Flight Grille and Café. Visit bramptonflightcentre.com.

5. Search for planets and constellations on a clear autumn night 

For your dreamy fledging astronomer, stargazing never gets boring. Test your kids’ knowledge of popular constellations and planets by heading to your favourite dark park, setting up a comfortable viewing spot and gazing up. Snacks and telescopes are encouraged. What should you look for? The experts at the mobile Ontario Planetarium suggest a few shiny things visible in a clear Ontario night sky. 

From October to December kids can catch a glimpse of the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. A few of the constellations visible in Southern Ontario skies are the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and Cassiopeia. If you’re lucky, you can find the Andromeda Galaxy. 

Here’s what to look for:

Big Dipper and Little Dipper: Start by finding the easily recognizable pot-shaped Big Dipper, part of the constellation known as Ursa Major (the Great Bear in Greek, or Mista Muskwa/The Spirit Bear in Cree and Ojibway). The two stars that form the front side of the pot of the Big Dipper point directly to Polaris, aka the North Star – and the closest bright star in that direction. 

Polaris sits at the end of the Little Dipper’s handle, so follow the handle to see the pot in its entirety. The Little Dipper (Ursa Minor in Greek, also seen as a wolf in Plains Cree) is roughly half the size of the Big Dipper and much fainter.

Cassiopeia: This bright constellation of stars looks like a crown-shaped “W” or inverted “M” to the right of the North Star. It’s useful for finding Andromeda.

Andromeda: This galaxy – which the planetarium explains is the “closest, easiest-to-see galaxy beyond our own Milky Way” – appears as a dim, fuzzy oval (actually 200 billion stars) below and to the right of Cassiopeia. Use the bottom of the more closed of Cassiopeia’s two angles as an arrow pointing down to the nearest bright star. Then locate the next easily visible star up to the right of the “line” you just drew from Cassiopeia. Continue in the same direction and locate the next brightly shining star on that path. You’ll see the galaxy to the right of that final star. Visit ontarioplanetarium.com/real/basic-constellations.

6. Neighbourhood Capture the Flag

Have more than a few kiddos in your neighbourhood? Rally them at a nearby park for a throwback game of Capture the Flag. Set up a snack station and bring out a few sparklers if you plan to stay out until sunset. 

Enlist the eldest of the bunch to referee and administer the basic rules:

1. Break the group into two teams. The game works best with 8 to 10 players.

2. Pick two items as “flags.” Use actual flags or two random objects, as long as they’re of similar size.

3. Choose a large area where there’s both an open space to run around and places to hide the flags. Parks with shrubs and trees work well, as they offer good hiding spots. Identify the jail – this is where players stay if they get tagged by an opponent. This could be a park bench or a specific tree.

4. Map the teams’ territories. Each team’s territory is where they will hide their own flag and where they are safe from being tagged by the other team. 

5. Designate one player from each team as the flag hider. All players must turn away or cover their eyes as the hiders take turns hiding their flags.

6. The point of the game is to try to capture the opposing team’s flag. Children tag as many opponents entering their territory as they can, sidelining them by sending them to jail.

7. If a teammate gets tagged and is in jail, kids can tag them to free them.

8. Whoever captures the opponent’s flag and takes it back to their own territory wins!

7. Paint the great outdoors 

Plein air painting, the practice of painting or drawing a landscape on site, is a centuries-old technique, but it’s not just for grownups. Haul art supplies (and maybe a picnic) to an eye-catching park or your backyard and ask kids to notice how the light catches the changing leaves, or how the shadows dance on the tree trunks and rocks below. We spoke to Orangeville Art Group member Milly Tseng for more tips.

She suggests using an artist’s viewfinder tool to help frame a section of landscape so budding Monets can focus. “This helps one to eliminate distractions and concentrate on the subject, just like looking through an empty photo frame,” says Milly.

Kids can make their own tool by taking an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of thin cardboard or Bristol board, preferably white (see below). Tell them to draw an “X” that touches the corners of the whole sheet. Centred on the point where the lines cross, they draw a rectangle measuring 1 by 1.25 inches, the longer sides corresponding with the long sides of the sheet. With a sharp craft knife (and the help of an adult), they cut out the small rectangle. Now they have a viewfinder to help them focus. They can hold it up for moments at a time or tape it to the top of their canvas or notebook.

What type of paint? “Dollar store products are okay for children to learn and get used to the idea of painting outdoors,” Milly says. “Acrylic is easier to use, as watercolours can be more difficult to control.” As an artist myself, I would also try chalk pastels on paper as an introduction to drawing and painting outdoors. 

Milly suggests Island Lake Conservation Area at the edge of Orangeville for plein air painting of the lake, although any public park – even a colourful playground set – would do.

8. Celebrate Halloween in Shelburne 

Now in its 31st year, Shelburne’s famous Haunt in the Park returns on October 25, 26 and 31 with a fresh new “haunted” maze inside the 6,000-square-foot pavilion in Fiddle Park. Hosted by the Little Family, and now managed by Carola Little, the event attracts visitors from all over Southern Ontario. The Haunt’s twisty maze is filled with ghouls, witches and mummies. Don’t miss the Witch’s Hut to get a free piece of candy. 

On Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Haunt’s Mini Boo event lightens the scary load for its smallest fans. During Mini Boo hours a shuttle runs between Fiddle Park and downtown Shelburne, where the Shelburne BIA and retailers host more surprises. Bring cash or a non-perishable food item. All donations benefit the Shelburne Food Bank. 

9. Listen to insects

For a lively – and loud! – evening nature walk, turn to the chapter on singing insects in naturalist Don Scallen’s book, Nature Where We Live: Activities to Engage Your Inner Scientist from Pond Dipping to Animal Tracking. 

Don, a regular contributor to this magazine, is especially fond of common true katydids, (Pterophylla camellifolia). “In late summer and early autumn darkness switches on the katydid voices. (I use the term ‘voices’ loosely. It’s the rubbing of the forewings that generates the sound),” he writes. 

Here’s how to search for katydids and other noisy insects: 

Gear: Flashlight for nocturnal searches. (Optional: camera, headlamp.)

Recommended for older adults with hearing loss: a companionable search with a younger person with good ears. Some of the singers have faint, high-pitched voices. 

When to look: Most singing insects don’t rosin up their bows, metaphorically speaking, until midsummer. Many then call until the first hard frosts of autumn. 

Where to look: Crickets, katydids and other singing insects live in backyards and suburban parks, making them extremely accessible. The greatest diversity and numbers, though, are likely to be found in meadows and woodlands. Many call low to the ground on shrubs or herbaceous plants. Others, like common true katydids, favour tree canopies, but can be found lower down, especially after strong winds. Most are camouflage experts. The various katydids are leaf mimics and finding the calling “leaf” among the profusion of real leaves can be a challenge. 

Treading softly: To appreciate the beauty of these wonderful insects, and to photograph them, necessitates that they be temporarily disturbed. Be gentle when you handle them and please return them carefully to the plant you found them on. (Condensed from Nature Where We Live: Activities to Engage Your Inner Scientist from Pond Dipping to Animal Tracking.)