MOUNTAIN AREA — The season of autumn has arrived and everyone is loving it! The weather is beautiful and has cooled down in the past several weeks, finally dropping below the oppressive summer swelter we, who are familiar with the Central Valley, have become accustomed to.
Autumn brings up memories of roasting marshmallows and cozying up in a blanket to the refreshing smell of cinnamon and vanilla in the air. Don’t you love driving to your local coffee stop and picking up a pumpkin spice drink? Autumn is an amazing season to look forward to, no matter the time of the year, whether it be for the seasonal beverages, crafts, weather, or overall feeling fall gives us.
This is a time to get creative with young or older kids and start Do-It-Yourself (DIY) crafts. One of my favorites when I was a kid was getting leaves from outside, usually red, brown, orange, yellow, and green colored pencils, crayons, or markers. Then, I put the leaves under a piece of white printer paper and colored over them until it revealed an imprint of the leaves. I remember being so amazed and thinking I was so awesome when I did this craft. This activity helps kids realize patterns and textures, which amazed me as a young child.
There is a fun and creative trend worth following, known as sensory crafts. Sensory crafts include slimes, putties, play dough, filled bottles, and, of course, carving Halloween pumpkins. I know from experience with my young brother, Brandon, that toddlers love to get creative. For DIY crafts, simply type them in on a internet search engine, get a simple recipe, and add your creative touch to it. For example, if you want to make sensory bottles, get some faux leaves, glitter, food coloring, ribbons, and recycled transparent bottles. These crafts are very fun and will be enjoyable for you and your children.
If you have a Halloween party coming up, or even just a lazy day around, you can always make autumn snacks and desserts. Some of my favorites are Autumn Muddie Buddies, Pumpkin Pie, Caramel Apples, Pumpkin Bread Truffles, and Candy Corn Macaroons. There are so many creative snacks and desserts out there that you can create. These bring out my love for autumn because candy corn snacks are only sold around Halloween-time. These yummy snacks are exclusive to the season!
When I think about autumn, I know Halloween is coming up. My memories of the past Halloweens always bring joy to my life. All the costumes for children and adults strolling through neighborhoods and knocking on doors for candy were so adorable.
Some new costumes include the Shopkins, which are collectible toys. A popular Halloween costume for a young girl is Super Girl. A cute boy’s costume for toddlers is Duke from The Secret Life of Pets. You can check your local Halloween shop or shop online and get it even faster (crazy how that works nowadays, huh!?).
You can always create your own Halloween costumes as well. Some nice outfits for adults or teenagers include the new Harley Quinn costumes, who is a character played in Suicide Squad. Some funny group Halloween costumes include the Peanut Butter and Jelly costume and the three-piece S’mores costume. Halloween brings endless fun and amazing creative costumes. Have fun choosing and remember to be safe on Halloween night!
You cannot forget to put on your cozy clothes like sweaters, leggings, scarves, and sweatpants. Autumn is all about being warm and cozy! Some trendy outfits are a red sweater, layer it with a tan cardigan, a scarf, leggings and UGGs. Autumn is a perfect setting to host your style!
I hope you have a fun time during the autumn season and trick or treating with your youngins’. Try these crafts, snacks, and costumes and you will love them!
Jazmin Neri is Minarets junior enrolled in Creative Writing
