Autumn, also known as fall, is one of our favorite seasons – marking the transition from summer to winter. September 22 is the first official day of autumn! In LA, the temperature drops a few degrees during this time of the year, but it’s still a great time to go for a picnic! Since the sun is still shining here, we have some some seasonal activities and vocabulary to get you in the autumn mood – so grab a pumpkin spice latte and read on…
Foliage: a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches. Trees traditionally shed their foliage in the autumn!
Leaf Peeping: Activity in which people travel to view and photograph the fall foliage – especially within the regions where the foliage spectacularly changes color. Yosemite National Park in California has spectacular fall colors – check out the ELC activity calendar for our next trip there!
Jumping in Leaf Piles: An activity where people jump on to a pile of dried leaves. Many kids around the world enjoy jumping on little mountains of leaves.
Scarecrow: scarecrows – or men made of hay – are dressed in old clothes and hats to look like humans. They are used to scare off or discourage any birds from eating crops in an open fields.
Apple Picking: During fall or harvest season, some apple farmers open up their orchard to the public and allow them to pick their own apples.
Candy Apples: Candy apples, also known as toffee apples, are whole apples that are covered in caramel or hard toffee with a stick inserted in the middle. It is a common treat to have at an autumn festival or fair.
Bake Pies: A pie is baked in a dish with pastry dough casing that is filled with variety of fruits. Many people bake apple or pumpkin pies during the autumn season.
Corn Maze: a maze cut out of a corn field. Some farms makes mazes to bring in some tourist revenue. It has many patterns and designs. Make sure to check one out!
Hayride: A pleasure ride in an open truck, wagon or sleigh which has been decorated with hay or straw and similar farm-life paraphernalia. In modern times it is usually organized commercially and takes place at night. In LA, you can join the Haunted Hayride in Griffiths Park – but only if you enjoy being scared!
Hot air balloon festival: A few cities have hot air balloon festival around this time of the year to partake in leaf peeping.
