It seemed like we spent a lot of time indoors during October. That is always my favorite month to enjoy being outside in the cool crisp air. Most of the leaves are gone at this point, but the crisp beautiful weather has come to give us one last chance to be outdoors before we are snowed in for good. This last weekend Jim did the second fall cleanup. Our property is so dense with trees we usually have to clean up a few times in the fall and then again in the spring. He promised William he would make a pile big enough for him to jump into - and he was true to his word. I am not sure I have seen such a huge pile of leaves. It was deep enough that Jim would take the kids and throw them into the pile and they would come out unscathed. I think Jim was having almost as much fun as the kids!
On Sunday we took a walk in
Maple Grove, which is one of the oldest forest preserves in Dupage County and is practically walking distance from our house. It is a tradition that we go every fall to enjoy the colors but also to just 'be' in nature. The children enjoy looking at the lichen, plants, decomposing trees and all that nature has to offer. It is a beautiful, quiet and restful place.
The sun was warm and shining through the bare trees. We explored many dead trees, broke lots of dead branches and collected leaves. It is so fun to watch the children challenge themselves - where can I balance, how much of a risk will I take, is it safe to jump here, etc. You can see their minds working as they push themselves to go higher and higer.
I love this next picture of my girl. She called this a rainbow tree. It was a pretty amazing dead tree that was in a perfect arch. The bark on the underside was just barely holding on so we were able to peel it back a bit to see all the critters that were happily living there. She went back and forth across the tree a few times but never could bring herself to stand on it alone. She did want to do it herself so she made it back and forth by crawling or sliding. William did it too but with the help of his dad (not that I would have let him try it alone!).
There really is nothing like the smell of fall in the forest. I don't know how to describe it but if I could bottle it I would. The dry crunchy leaves underfoot, the dampness of the forest floor and the tiny animals and organisms that are all making their home. It is a work of art in my opinion. I hope that by coming here frequently we will help our children develop an appreciation and reverence for our natural spaces.
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