If you’re looking for some inspiration to help you enjoy a ‘screen-free season’ this autumn, here are a few books that’ll give you some ideas. From drawing, sewing and knitting to spending time in the great outdoors, here are some activities that children, teenagers and adults can all enjoy together…
About a week ago I declared this ‘screen-free season’ for me. I want to enjoy the autumn before the busyness of Christmas arrives and I don’t want to spend that time scrolling.
Instead, I want to get outdoors in the autumn sunshine, do some crafting and read some books; all things that seem to get pushed aside in favour of scrolling during the colder months.
Here are the five books I’ve picked out to help me do this, all of which provide handy tips and activity ideas for kids, teenagers and adults alike. Plus, read on to find out what I’m personally reading and watching this autumn…
Woodland wandering
If you want to really make the most of the mild autumnal weather this season, head out to your local woodland. Search the Woodland Trust’s ‘Wood Finder’ to discover your nearest woodland to explore. There you can admire the changing colours of the leaves and get some fresh air, away from the heated stuffiness of our homes.
To make the most of your woodland wandering, these books can accompany your walk: Woodland Wisdom by Nick Pierce and Young Adventurers’ Survival Handbook by Naomi and Dan Walmsley.
The Woodland Wisdom book is ideal for adults and teenagers because it’s packed full of forest facts, along with some myths and fiction, making it both entertaining and informative.
The Young Adventurers’ book is more like a scouting handbook of outdoor skills, making it great for children and teens. It’s full of practical information on knots, navigation and shelters, with step-by-step instructions to make some essential outdoor kit for themselves.
Autumnal art
While you’re out in the woods as a family, perhaps you’ll spot some things you want to draw or photograph to record your day out during the half-term holidays.
So, take a sketch book with you and consider doing some ‘brass rubbings’ with the littlest members of your family – do you remember doing this on school field trips? All you need is a crayon that you can rub on paper to get an imprint of a piece of bark or an interesting information plaque at the woodland.
For children and teens (and adults, for that matter!) who want to learn how to draw the things they see in the woodland, I’d recommend Alli Koch’s How To Draw books, especially the Fall Things For Kids at this time of year.
I’ve used it myself to learn how to draw squirrels, toadstools, pinecones and more. Each image is broken down into a series of simple lines and circles, and before you know it, you’ve drawn a campfire all by yourself!
Cosy crafting
I’ve mentioned it many times before but crafting is good for your health, both mentally and physically. So I’d always include it in a list of screen-free activities and there’s something that every age group can enjoy.
The twenty step-by-step projects in Sian Hamilton’s Now I Can Sew book can be completed by children aged 8 and over, enabling them to learn how to hand-sew, which is a handy life skill to have.
The projects in the book range from cute (think squishy animals and silly monsters) to practical – including bags, hair accessories and pencil cases. It’ll keep children and tweens occupied for hours and they’ll feel so proud of the creations they’ve sewn.
For older teenagers – and for myself – I think knitting is the ultimate autumn activity. Last week, I picked up my knitting needles for the first time this season and settled down to knit a bobble hat using LearnToKnit’s Knit-Along beanie hat tutorial.
I almost couldn’t believe how quickly it came together and after a few evenings of following along with Alice’s step-by-step instructions via the video, I had made my very own knitted hat – my first one ever! I’m now already buying more yarn for the next one.
I’ll still be using the instructional video to help me but now that I understand the construction of a hat, there’s no stopping me – I’ll make them in all colours and styles. To help with this (and perhaps over-ambitiously!) I’ve got hold of Jo Allport’s 10,000 Knitted Hats book.
It allows you to choose the design of your own hat by flipping the sections to create your own style, with the pattern instructions on the opposite page to follow along as you knit. Like I say – massively ambitious for me, but I really enjoyed Learn To Knit’s online classes and want to carry on creating.
I think teens will love designing their own beanie hat and then knitting it – imagine being able to wear your own creation to school on the chilly mornings to come.
If they’re just starting out, the Chunky Headband knit-along tutorial was the first wearable accessory I ever made and it’s such a simple project that you can complete quickly and that looks really impressive – I just know your teens will love it!
My personal list of things to watch & read in the autumn:
- Reading Heidi Swain’s autumn titles ‘All Wrapped Up’ and the recently published ‘Falling For You’.
- Watching ‘You’ve Got Mail’ and ‘When Harry Met Sally’ for the 100th time.
- I’m new to Gilmore Girls (I know, where have I been?), Younger and Off Campus so I’m enjoying streaming those box sets.
- Reading space-themed books like those by astronaut Tim Peake and Adrian West’s The Secret World of Stargazing because the night are so dark so early, offering ample time in the evenings for looking up at the stars.
- Looking for cheesy Hallmark films with an autumnal theme on Netflix and Prime – I will watch literally anything in this genre and love how predictable the stories are.
Let me know what you would add to my list – what should I watch or read this season? I hope my ideas have given you inspiration for your own autumn activities and I’d love to hear your suggestions so please leave me a comment below. Happy screen-free season! 🙂
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Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
