Family Time Ideas

KIDS BACK IN

Check out these fun ways to maximize your family time on weekends

STORY Ashlee Coffey

As school resumes and life gets busy again, parents will no doubt try to find ways to maximize their weekend time as a family as much as they can.

Check out these 15 things you can do at home or take part in around the metro area this fall. 1 Roast hot dogs and s’mores by the fire. This is pretty much a given thing to do every fall season. You can even get fancy by having a hot dog topping bar nearby.

2Make hot chocolate. Get the tried-and-true Swiss Miss mix or come up with your own recipe like coconut white chocolate, caramel or even peanut butter.

3Go on a hayrack ride. Many local orchards offer fun hayrack rides for families.

4Jump in a giant pile of leaves. While you’re at it, take some pictures.

5Go to an orchard and pick apples. September is National Apple Month and the metro area has more than a dozen orchards where you can go to pick your own. It’s a ton of fun for the family, plus you can make and enjoy apple-focused recipes together.

6Attend a family-friendly festival. There are lots of festivals taking place this month and next. Be sure to check out Valley Days, Aug. 13–15; Arrows to Aerospace, Aug. 20–21; Omaha’s Original Greek Festival, Aug. 20-22; Dundee Day, Aug. 21; Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival, Aug. 21-22; Millard Days, Aug. 24-29; SeptemberFest, Sept. 3-6; Plattsmouth Harvest Festival, Sept. 9–12; and Omaha River City Rodeo, Sept. 24-25.

7Go camping and, before bed, do some stargazing. This is always a good idea, but especially so once fall inches closer and the temperatures cool off.

8Watch a movie outside. There are a few places showing outdoor movies into the late summer months. Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard, 19475 225th St. in Council Bluffs, will host a family-friendly outdoor movie every Friday through Aug. 27. Check out their Facebook page for more information. Additionally, Falconwood Park, 905 Allied Road in Bellevue, shows outdoor movies on its 50-foot screen. Find out more information at falconwoodpark.com/drive-in.

9Make — and eat — caramel apples. Stay old-school or roll your caramel-dipped apple in candy or crushed cookies. Cut into pieces and share with the whole family.

10 Make a fall craft with pieces of nature you find outside. You can make a suncatcher using dried leaves and flowers. Just press them between two sheets of contact paper and suspend it inside an embroidery hoop. Or you can create a sweet mobile to hang outside or inside featuring twigs, rocks, acorns and more. (See page 13.)

11 Bake snickerdoodle cookies. Nothing says fall quite like cinnamon and sugar. These cookies — you can find lots of recipes online — are so easy and absolutely delicious. 12 Make homemade doughnuts. Just buy a doughnut pan and you’ve got an easy way to make delicious and even healthy doughnuts at home. Try apple doughnuts (dipped in cinnamon and sugar) or even pumpkin. Yum!

13 Get competitive — ninja-warrior style. Check out an indoor ninja warrior gym such as FitNest, 7009 S. 109th St. in La Vista, or Urban Air Adventure Park, 15364 Weir St. While many of these types of gyms are designed with children in mind, both offer fun adult areas as well.

14 Go on a hike. It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy the cool, crisp weather and the changing colors of the leaves. See this and more during a hike through one of the many hills of the Midwest. Check out Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Fontenelle Forest, Halleck Park, Heron Haven Wetland Nature Center, Lauritzen Gardens, Neale Woods Nature Center, OPPD Arboretum or Prairie Queen Recreation Center, to name a few.

15 Take a short road trip. If you’re looking for a different take on dinner and a movie and don’t mind a road trip, why not consider a small getaway? Try dining at Eat Restaurant in Dodge, Nebraska. Or check out a flick at the Gateway Theatre in Albion, Nebraska. Or check out the AppleJack festival in Nebraska City, which is spread over three weekends beginning in midSeptember. A small town getaway may be just what you need to recharge and reconnect with your family.