The month of November is usually time for a wonderful break after Halloween and before the Christmas rush sets in. One of the things we like to do as a family in November is to head outdoors and go on an autumn nature hike.

Here where we live, November offers some of the best weather of the year, so it’s only natural to want to spend time outside. With fall’s golden light, it’s also a great time to take outdoor family photos.

When we go on family nature hikes or walks during the fall, the kids love to collect colorful leaves, pinecones of all shapes and sizes, and acorns to take home. They really have a lot of fun trying to find the perfect fall leaves, and we try to identify what kinds of trees the leaves are from.

I bring a bag for each of the kids to collect their autumn treasures. When we bring them home I pull out a decorative platter and we arrange the best of our leaves and pinecones on it to make a colorful fall display. This makes a great dining table centerpiece or decoration for the coffee table, and it’s become something of a fall tradition in our home. The kids love to show off their handiwork to family and friends, too.

A simple and fun autumn craft project that we also like to do is to make leaf prints from the leaves we bring home. This is an easy project that all ages can do, and the results can be really stunning. You’ll need:

• Leaves of different shapes and sizes
• Construction paper
• Crayons

Lay out a sheet of paper and place a leaf on it, then set another sheet of paper over the leaf (or leaves—you can use more than one if you like). Peel the wrapper off a crayon and rub the side of it over the top sheet of paper. The leaves below will magically appear!

We like to use paper and crayons with rich autumnal colors: red, brown, yellow, or orange. You can use white paper, too, but we find that colorful construction paper gives the best results.

The finished product is suitable for framing, using in a scrapbook, or making into note cards and greeting cards. Happy fall!