NCM Offers Tips to Explore the Signs of Fall

WASHINGTON, DC (September 29, 2010) – The National Children’s Museum (NCM) is providing families with ways to explore the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings associated with autumn.

The fall season marks a time when lazy summer days transform into busy weeks with school, homework, and after-school commitments. Although life can become fast-paced, NCM offers tips to slow down and enjoy the changing leaves, crisp air, and smells and tastes of sweet autumn treats. 

“Fall can be lost in the back-to-school shuffle,” said Linda Coulombe, Manager of Science Programs at the National Children’s Museum. “With the changing seasons comes a fascinating shift in the natural environment. This season can teach families so much, even from their backyards and neighborhood parks. Fall is a perfect time to get out and explore nature through your five senses!”

What does your family associate with fall? NCM offers these sensory based tips to explore the signs of fall:

SIGHT
- Color Walk. Use colored pencils to draw a beautiful array fall colors or take photos of the fall leaves. Make a fall colors collage or a “leaf rainbow” by collecting as many leaves as you can find that match the colors of the rainbow. Cut a white paper plate in half and glue on your leaves in a rainbow shape.
- Masking Tape Bracelets. Collect signs of fall by cutting a piece of masking tape and putting it on your wrist with the sticky side facing out. Use this to stick any natural items that you find on your walk, such as seeds or leaves.

SOUND
- Listen Up. Go outside and listen for the sounds of fall, such as the crisp sound of crunching leaves, the honking of Canadian geese flying south, or a crackling fire in a fireplace. Compare summer noises to those in the fall.

SMELL
- Apple Cinnamon Decorations. Mix equal parts of applesauce and cinnamon until it makes a dough. Roll out the dough and cut into fall shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole in the top of each shape with a straw and let dry for 24 hours until hard.
- Fall Smells Scavenger Hunt. Go on a family walk and try to recognize these fall smells: pumpkins singed from Halloween candles, the sweet smell of wet leaves on a warm fall day, and the smell of wood smoke from chimneys.

TASTE
- Apple Sampler. Pick apples, make an apple pie, try making homemade applesauce, sip warm apple cider, make a pumpkin pie, or try making dried apple slices for snacks.
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. With adult supervision, preheat the oven to 300°. Toss 1 ½ cup raw, whole pumpkin seeds in a bowl with 2 tsp. melted butter and a pinch of salt. Spread seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

TOUCH
- Play in Leaves. Jump over or into a pile of leaves. Make a leaf trail for others to follow. Make a leaf maze by piling leaves into paths and bike or walk the maze. Throw a bunch of leaves into the air and try to catch them as they float to the ground.
- Pumpkin Roll. Use two large pumpkins and two sturdy sticks to roll the pumpkins on their sides in a race to the finish line. The first kid across the finish line wins!

About the National Children’s Museum

The National Children’s Museum (NCM) is a world-class cultural and educational center that inspires children to care about and improve the world. Currently operating as a “museum without walls” through participation in community events and creative partnerships with other arts and cultural organizations, NCM will open an indoor space in November 2012 and an expansive outdoor experience in May 2013 at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The Museum is poised to become Greater Washington’s premier family attraction and the only national museum dedicated entirely to children and their families and caregivers. The National Children’s Museum was designated by Congress in 2003 and was founded in 1974 as the Capital Children’s Museum.

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