Fun fall activities to celebrate the season

Summer is in the rearview mirror and fall is upon us!  October is a great time to get out and enjoy the fresh, crisp air, and to begin cozying up indoors with autumn baking and crafts.

Each week in October, ESD Connects will share fun and safe ideas for fall activities!  We would LOVE to see pictures of you and your family enjoying all that October has to offer. Please send your photos or short videos to esd.connects@esd112.org. Trips to the pumpkin patch, crafting with kids, hikes in the fall leaves, creative costumes…we want to see it all!

Upcoming ESD Events

We will host a family-friendly virtual Hootenanny event on Friday, October 30 at 4:00 pm and look forward to featuring your photos or short videos.
Our Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest will also be back this year. Watch for more information soon!

For now, here’s some fun fall ideas to help get you in the spirit of the season!

Week 1 Activities

Get your hands gooey creating these easy Rice Krispie Treat Pumpkins.
Visit North Clark County for a Drive Through Pumpkin Lane at Historic Pomeroy Farm. Pumpkins will be available to buy and food trucks will be on hand with favorite fall treats.
Gather your littles or grand-littles and craft these Silly Halloween Marshmallow Designs.
Experience a spooky slant on Vancouver’s history with a Clark County Historical Museum Haunted Walking Tour.

Week 2 Activities

Bust out your sprinkles, pecans, chocolate chips, or whatever your heart desires and get creative making these Classic Caramel Apples with MACK Toffee.
Have fun doing this hands-on Not-So-Spooky Spider Hunt in the Dark!
Get your older kiddos in the spirit by creating these cute Halloween Paper Mobiles.
Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies… or do they? Watch this storybook reading with your kiddos to find out!
Ready to get outdoors and take in some beautiful fall colors? Put on your hiking boots and pick a trail to Hike in the Columbia River Gorge.
For folks in Cowlitz County, plan a trip to The Patch! Located in the Woodland, The Patch offers a huge variety of pumpkins, squash and gourds, as well as a 5-acre corn maze. Be sure to check their website for 2020 guidelines.

Week 3 Activities

What’s for dinner? Why not try making these cute and fun Hot Dog Mummies!
Way back in the days before social distancing (remember those?), escape rooms offered a fun way to entertain the family and increase team-building skills. Get the family together and try to solve the mystery of these virtual escape rooms.
Can’t sleep? Missing your monster? Watch and listen to this storybook reading, I Need My Monster, by Rita Moreno.
For the older kids and adults who seek a scary thrill, take in a movie at The Cinema of Horrors at the Clark County Fairgrounds. It’s a live-action horror movie experience where screams from the screen come to life!

Week 4 Activities

For older teen and adult history buffs, check out the Cabinet of Curiosities, for an audio tour of the unbelievable, the unsettling, and the bizarre! Each episode features two short tales about the most amazing things found in the pages of history.
Combine play time and learning with these creative Halloween sensory activities that encourage exploration, discovery, and curiosity!
Channel your inner Sherlock Holmes and explore 10 Ways to Go on a Halloween Scavenger Hunt.
Who knew you could make crinkle cookies from a cake mix? Well, you can! Have a sugar-scary time making these monster cookies.
Put your paper folding skills to the test by creating a spooky origami ghost.
Are you afraid sometimes? Listen to the story about The Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything!
Shades walk across bridges and disappear, shadows haunt the courthouse, and voices echo through empty barracks…..join author and historian, Pat Jollata, as she uncovers the fascinating stories behind the unexplainable in HAUNTED, Vancouver, Washington.