Resources from Katie Hetter – CNN
You can get really amazing ideas of what to do in the new season when you write down your list and ask your family members to do the same. It’s a fun way to see what they’re thinking, especially to see what’s inside kids’ heads — and maybe even try to get to 50 things. You can also be inspired by our list.
5 Ways to connect with your loved ones this fall
1. A weekly Zoom date. Set up a regular video call with friends or family (or both). My partner set up a regular weekly call with her extended family, and I did the same. My setup with my California-based mother is to invite special guests to join us. Last week: my best friend in LA. This week: my cousin in Miami.
2. Set up a regular card game. This may seem like a repeat of the video call, but it’s not. Features Editorial Director David Allan plays Hearts with his dad and siblings every week, and they plan to keep going after the pandemic.
3. Collect recipes. Since the pandemic has likely thrown your Thanksgiving plans up into the air anyway, why not try some new traditions? Ask your friends and family for their favorite holiday recipes, share your own, update your Turkey Day menus and make a family recipe book. Everyone will love that memento.
4. Write a letter. People love getting mail, and letters can be short and include something nice you want to say to them.
5. Send a postcard. It’s easy and it’s short (and you can make them if you want). Postcards always feel sweet to me, mostly because I had a childhood friend who sent them all the time. She passed away a few years ago, and every time I send one, I think of her. It’s a good memory.
10 fun activities to do this fall during a pandemic
1. It’s time to pick apples. Apples are in season over the next few weeks, and there are delicious varieties like Gala and Golden Delicious to be picked. We eat some right out of the bag and make applesauce and apple butter for the year ahead.
2. Get lost in a corn maze. Gather your bubble mates, pack some masks, visit a farm and do a corn maze. Have hot drinks and doughnuts
3. Hike through the woods. I know plenty of people have been hiking through the summer, but it can be too hot for that activity in BC! Fall is the time to put on those hiking pants and explore nature preparing for winter, which leads us to the next fun event.
4. Watch the leaves change color. Many leaves all across North America change color, and there is amazing science behind it. Collect some fallen leaves and you’re ready for the next project.
5. Build a bonfire. That way you can roast marshmallows and make s’mores. If your local fire codes don’t allow it, local campsites have been known to rent out their fire pits.
6. Make your own costume. This year, I have loads of cardboard in my house, markers, paint and tape and several ideas for a fun Halloween costume!
7. Make your own candy. I’m not talking about my usual combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips (highly recommended, however). Make fudge or peanut brittle or caramel apples. If you do it in advance, you can share the treats with neighbors and friends.
8. Halloween at home. Speaking of Halloween, trick-or-treating doesn’t sound so safe this year, which can be a huge bummer if you live in a Halloween-destination neighborhood. Why not have a Halloween movie night with popcorn and already-made or purchased candy?
9. Host a best costume contest. Have an extended-family Zoom contest on who can make the best Halloween costume, and get extended family on Facebook to vote for the winner.
10. Honor your relatives. Put together an altar to honor loved ones who have passed during Dia de los Muertos (the Day of Dead) on November 1 and 2.
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