Every season there are great things to do with your family. Here are some great fall activities you might want to try. These activities take little to no planning. We love doing things together, and these are some of our favorites. Check them out:

1. Rake up the fall leaves and jump in them, or even better -- collect colorful leaves. Go for a walk around the neighborhood or on a hiking trail. Later at home, let the leaves dry out a little. Then put them on colorful paper (you and your kids could embellish the paper with names, stamping, stickers, pictures of your hike, etc.) and carefully cover them with clear contact paper -- or, if you have a laminator, that's even one step better. Now, use these as placemats year after year and remember your special time together.

2. Let's not forget our feathered friends you probably saw on you walk! Why not make home-made bird feeders for these little creatures. This is a fun and messy project:

All you will need is: String (strong enough to hold the weight of friendly critters), peanut butter, butter knife, birdseed and pine cones (you can use large pretzels instead for a little twist on the idea). It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Tie the string to the pinecone. 2. Using the butter knife, coat the pinec one with peanut butter. 3. Roll it in the birdseed. How easy is that! Hang the birdfeeders where you can easily watch the birds (and other critters) come to feast. An extra bonus family activity would be to get a bird watching book and sit together to try and figure out what kinds of birds are in you local area.

3. “Boo” your neighbors. This has been a tradition in our neighborhood. The kids and I have so much fun preparing 'phantoms' and even more fun when we get “Boo-ed." All you have to do is copy this poem onto festive colored paper:

The Phantom haunts you happily from now through Halloween, and was delivered by a friend who (hopefully) was not seen.

The spirit of the neighborhood has come to wish you well. Someone, somewhere, selected you to receive this happy spell.

You must display the Phantom on your door so all can spy that you’re already haunted by this happy little guy.

Then fix a sack with goodies like the one given to you. Ring someone’s bell, leave a bag and make them happy, too”!

Happy Halloween!

Draw or download a picture of a ghost onto an 8.5X11 paper or bigger. Make a sweet little Halloween treat (a small bucket with stickers, candy, cookies, etc. -- fun stuff for the members of the family you are “Booing”). Leave the package at the door (with the ghost stuck on the door), ring the door bell and run and hide. Have lots of fun with your kids – they love to ring the doorbells and hide. Each family “Boos” two families and next thing ya know, there will be ghosts on every door.

4. Bake Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 C margarine or butter – softened

1C firmly packed brown sugar

½ C granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ C all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

3 C Oatmeal quick or old fashioned, uncooked

1 C raisins

Heat oven 350*. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. With a spoon, stir in oats and raisins. Drop rounded tablespoon size balls onto ungreased cookie sheet or stone. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool. Yields 4 dozen

5. Make a fire and roast marshmallows. Make a movie night of it with an indoor picnic and popcorn. Or grab a book and read out loud together.

6. Build an obstacle course in your yard. Put out objects you ride a bike around, crawl over and under, jump or spin around, etc. You get the idea. Then see how fast you can do it as a complete family! Tons of fun and great exercise.

7. Go apple picking. To find orchards near you, visit www.pickyourown.org. Make sure to call and check on the apple picking season in your local area. The season is typically August – October/November. If you're traveling a distance, pack a picnic and stop somewhere you can see the colors of fall.

8. Do a “Colors Tour.” Travel up into the mountains and enjoy the changing of the seasons. What a wonderful time to learn/teach why the leaves change color and fall to the ground, and how the leaves help to nourish the ground. Identify the leaves and figure out which trees they belong to. This is a fantastic time to talk and learn together – and yes, another great picnic opportunity.

9. Go for a horse back ride: www.gahorse.com We went up into the mountains and our 2-year-old rode with me and our 4-year-old rode his own horse with a lead. The guide held the lead and we all wore helmets. It was so incredibly beautiful. The leaves were changing and we were in the woods, in large open meadows, valleys and on hilltops looking down at all the colors. WOW! Our kids talk about it often. We will be doing it again when our baby is a little bit older.

10. Go panning for gold. The kids had a great time doing this. It is a different adventure and a great chance to teach/learn a little history. It is just a short jaunt up to Dahlonega. For more information: Crisson Gold Mine, 706-864-6363, www.crissongoldmine.com or Consolidated Gold Mines, 706-864-8473.

11. Get lost in a corn maze. Here are some sites to search out and see if this is for you and your family: www.caglesdairy.com, www.enchantedmaze.com, www.kenelkob.com, www.northgacornmaze.com, www.uncleshucks.com, and www.washingtonfarms.com.

12. Last but definitely not least: Popcorn S’mores. Make some of this good stuff and you’ll only want to make more – YUMMMY!

1C firmly packed, light brown sugar

½ C butter or margarine

½ C corn syrup

½ tsp baking soda

10 C freshly popped popcorn, cooled (don’t use air-popped popcorn)

1(10.5 oz.) package mini marshmallows

2 C mini graham cookies

1 C chocolate chips

Combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in a sauce pan and cook over high heat for 5 minutes (Adult job). Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda.

In a separate heat resistant bowl thoroughly combine the popcorn and the marshmallows. Drizzle the sugar mixture over the popcorn to coat it, then gently stir in the graham cookies and chocolate chips, incorporating them evenly throughout the mixture.

Let the mixture set until cool enough to handle, then, using buttered plastic sandwich bags on your hands, form the mixture into golf-ball-size balls. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 30.