Whoosh – it’s Autumn! I love Autumn for so many reasons – the smells, the colours on the trees, the surprise of finding a conker or two, the misty mornings, vibrant coloured toadstools, a log fire in the evenings, crunchy leaves and the excuse to start to hibernate and slow down a little. Below are a range of ideas of ways to explore this special season (maybe during the half term holidays) with your little ones. Have fun … maybe even find a muddy puddle or two!
Fab places to enjoy a walk with your little ones!
Check out the following local places in Sussex to take in the colours of Autumn. We really do have spectacular woodlands in Sussex and now is the time to get the welly boots on and step foot outdoors!
FREE PLACES TO VISIT
- Woods Mill – Henfield https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/visit/woods-mill
- Beech Hurst – Haywards Heath
- Tilgate Park – in Crawley. It is free, dog friendly and has a great nature centre too.
- Local woodlands- Blunts Wood, Ashenground Woods, Ashdown Forest.
PLACES TO VISIT WITH ADMISSION CHARGE
- High Beeches – Handcross https://www.highbeeches.com (dog friendly on a Monday)
- Borde Hill – Haywards Heath https://www.bordehill.co.uk
- Wakehurst – Ardingly https://www.kew.org/wakehurst
- Leonardslee gardens – Horsham https://www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk/ (and dog friendly)
- and of course the National Trust properties locally… Nymans, Standen (dog friendly), Sheffield Park (dog friendly after 1.30pm).
Seasonal books to enjoy
Below are a selection of some of books that Whoosh likes to read and enjoy at this time of year.
Craft projects for this half term – some messy, some not!
Time to get the paint and glue out and enjoy some crafty time with your little one. I recently enjoyed creating little owls for one of our Whoosh sessions…there is something very satisfying about creating and seeing an end product….
autumn tree 
leaf fox 
leaf painting 
corn cob painting 
leaf puppets 
leaf wreath 
paper bag owl
Seasonal Musts!
- Crunching and jumping on leaves
- Making a pile of leaves and jumping in the middle
- Throwing leaves in the air. Maybe try putting them on an old sheet or piece of fabric (like a parachute) and waft them up and down!
- Raking up leaves / brushing pathways and placing them in a wheelbarrow – great for developing the muscles and movement in the whole arm
- Have a go at exploring a pumpkin… it maybe messy but its lots of fun!
- Go on a conker hunt with a collecting basket – there is nothing better than a shiny, perfect conker!
- Sorting leaves by colour
- Make a nature bracelet – follow this link to find out how to make a nature bracelet with your little one.
- Go on an autumn scavenger hunt- follow this link to download and print out a autumn treasure hunt.