Ah, September. Is it hopelessly basic to say this is my favorite month of the year?
I’ve always loved it because it’s my birthday month, but I bet it’s your favorite, too. The weather is perfect in my part of the world, we’re diving into new routines for the school year, fall is on the horizon, and it’s still warm enough to spend hours outside every day. What’s not to love?
Every September, I like to pick a few favorite things to do with my kids to celebrate this delightful month. Here are 6 things I’m looking forward to doing with my kids this September!
1Celebrate Mama Mary’s birthday
September 8 is a special day for all of us who call Mary our mother. We like to celebrate her birthday with Mass as a family and a birthday treat.
In past years, I’ve made cupcakes or chocolate-chip banana bread, but this year my kids have their first day of all-day homeschool co-op, so we will probably do a quick ice cream stop instead. Once I actually just did the drive-through at Baskin-Robbins for the world’s speediest feast day treat. It all counts as liturgical living!
2Pick apples
The best time of year for apples is upon us! Or as my three-year-old says, “It’s apple month!” Don’t wait until October; the orchards will be bare by then (I learned this lesson the hard way one year!).
It’s even more fun if the orchard has a hay ride, farm animals, fresh donuts, or other fun attractions. But just picking apples is such a fun activity for little ones.
And somehow the lighting is always sheer perfection in orchards, so go ahead and take a million family photos. I always do!
3Bake an apple pie
Now what to do with all those apples? Bake a pie, of course!
I only make apple pie once a year, as my husband and kids don’t really love pie (they’re much more into German apple cake!), but we enjoy the tradition of baking an apple pie from scratch every September.
If you’ve got little ones, do yourself a favor and check out the darling book How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. I love to pair it with our apple pie baking for the perfect hands-on fun activity for my preschoolers.
4Hit the trail for nature walks
This weather is just begging for us to spend some time on the trails at local forest preserves. I’m looking forward to getting in some nature walks with the kids.
I’ve really fallen in love with the Charlotte Mason philosophy of homeschooling, so nature walks are a big part of our homeschool. I encourage my kids to “look for signs of fall,” describe what they see for me, or choose something to copy down in their nature journals. (We don’t usually bring the nature journals with us, as it’s a little much for me to balance with the baby and toddler in tow, but I take a photo of something they want to sketch so they can refer to it later.)
5Read all the autumn books
Long-time huge fan of Read Aloud Revival here; I live by her monthly picture book lists for my kids who are under school age (which is most of them!).
I just love curling up with a stack of books to read to my babies. It is unqualifiedly one of my favorite parts of motherhood. I’m already looking forward to all the autumn books we’ll read this September!
6Go big for Michaelmas
I’ve got to hand it to my dear friend Laura, who makes this delightful annual tradition possible for my family. Every year, she plans an amazing Michaelmas party at her parish on September 29. My kids eagerly look forward to it all year!
She gets a dragon piñata to symbolize the devil, and lets all the kids whack away at it with a toy sword. St. Michael and other angel costumes are encouraged. There’s angel food cake, devil’s food cake, the traditional blackberries and carrots, a bonfire, s’mores, and singing hymns together. It’s always the perfect evening. I can’t wait!
These are the things I’m most excited to do this September. How about you? I’d love to hear your favorite traditions for this wonderful month!
And today we celebrate...