Gone are the bright sunny endless days of summer, when we stayed up hours beyond a reasonable bedtime to play, swim, make s’mores and catch fireflies. Replaced by golden autumn warmth and a longing to stay close to home, preparing for the coming months of shorter, quieter days. I think it’s important to recognize the changing of the seasons and integrate appropriate activities into the kids’ daily schedule that can help them with the transition. With Adam having a full school day, us girls have been relishing in our free time together. Spending time outside with little on our calendar beyond exploring our favorite places. This week we wandered around Tree People, a forest oasis right up the hill from our house in the middle of the Hollywood Hills. We talked about the changing colors of the California trees, collected rocks to bring home for painting, and had a picnic on a quiet hidden path. I find my kids settle in so much easier at the end of the day when they’ve had an opportunity to be outside. Especially when it’s free time to play and explore with no boundaries or guidelines. Then their little bodies are ready to melt into bed and drift off to sleep. Next to open windows in the cool, fall air.
