Optimal Fall Time Reading

photo by atp_tyreseus

The weather is cooling off, the school-agers are back in school, those annoying inflatable ghost decorations are popping up in your neighbors' front yards again... Autumn is here! And I don't know about you, but something about autumn makes me want to curl up and indulge in some frivolous reading. Don't know why that urge comes on, but it does, every year at this time. And I always give into it! No biographies, nothing deeply insightful or informational... I want fluff!

Perhaps our kiddos are having reading cravings as well? And if they're not, maybe they should be! Let's facilitate some cozy reading - autumn style! Here are my suggestions. Add yours in the comments section.

- Let your school-agers unwind with a book after hopping off the bus in the afternoon. Have some warm apple cider or popcorn balls ready for them (you can buy these pre-made if your not the domestic type), and invite them to kick up their feet up with a comic book, a magazine, or some heavier reading if they desire. Be sure to join them in the fun and be a reading role model.

- Take a trip to the park and bring some books along to read under a beautiful autumn tree! Don't forget to bring some blankets to sit on, and to wrap around you!

- Plan a nature walk or a trip to the pumpkin patch, and read some appropriately corresponding books before you go. Then discuss the things you see and experience, and how it compares to what was in the book/story.

- Talk about Halloween coming up and tell some spooky stories (appropriate to the child's age). This is also a great activity to be done on Halloween, perhaps after trick-or-treating while they snack on some of their bounty!

- Check your paper for fall festivals going on. There's often storytelling or storytimes of some sort going on at these.