6 Fun Family Activities for Autumn Half Term

This autumn half term let’s try something new. Put the phones away, turn off the TV and get out and about with your family. We’ve found 6 fun, family-friendly activities for you and your little ones to do this half term. So wrap up warm and spend quality time together this autumn.

1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

With Halloween just around the corner, get ready for those trick-or-treaters by picking and carving your own family of pumpkins!

A quick Google reveals loads of farms which hold autumn half term activities, including Crockford Bridge Farm. Crockford Bridge Farm hosts a Pumpkin Patch Event from 20th-28th October, with a jam-packed day full of pumpkin picking, face painting and a theatre show. With tickets just £4 each, it’s well worth a day out with the family.

Once you’ve got your pumpkins home, spend the evening making a mess and carving them! Just a reminder- to signal to trick-or-treaters that you’re happy for them to knock on the door, the rule is to put a pumpkin outside. So why not make this formality more fun by creating a family of handpicked pumpkins.

2. Rainy Day Den Making and Story Telling

It’s Britain. It’s autumn. We know it’s bound to rain at some point over half term. So as a rainy day activity, why not get the sheets out, throw the cushions on the floor and make a den! When you’re a kid, there’s nothing more exciting than turning the sitting room into your own blanket fort. Make new memories with your children this half term and go all out with the den making.

Here’s a step by step guide on den making:

• Take your dining chairs or bar stools and place in front of your sofa, about 5 or 6 feet away.
• Grab some bulldog clips and a couple of large sheets.
• Clip your sheets onto the back of your chairs, and tuck into the back of your sofa.
• Use a broom to hold up the centre of your den.
• Pile cushions, blankets and beanbags on the floor under your den.
• Add fairy lights for a special sparkle.
• Snuggle down with a good book and enjoy your new blanket fort.

Our dining chairs or bar stools are perfect for den making, in particular, our Gas Lift bar stools. you can adjust the height to make them as high as possible to get extra height in your den! No sore necks, just hours of family fun!

Verona Gas Lift Bar Stools

Rather than sitting staring at our phones. Lock them away for a couple of hours whilst using your den, and spend time as a family chatting and reading stories together. You could even play a few games and turn a rainy day into one to remember.

3. Visit a Fireworks Display

Bonfire night falls the week after half term this year, but there are plenty of local bonfire nights on during half term. Almost every village, town and city will host multiple fireworks displays. Find out your local ones via www.thelist.co.uk/events/fireworks-display to browse dates and locations, and see if there are any local half tern bonfire nights.

Just remember to wrap up warm, and if you’re going to play with sparklers, be sure to wear your gloves!!

4. Family Movie Night

As most of us now have some sort of streaming programme, it’s easier than ever to have a movie night without browsing the isles of Blockbusters (although that is something kids of today will never get to experience!). Designate one night of your half term to a family movie night. Load up with snacks, popcorn and crisps, and snuggle down to your favourite.

Robin Sofa

Browse Netflix, Amazon Prime or even your DVD collection and choose a couple feel good winter warmers to watch with your family. Maybe even choose a little sing-along, like The Jungle Book or Frozen! Or, if you’re feeling extra festive, what about a Christmas classic like Home Alone? It’s never too early for Home Alone!

5. Family Bake Off

Another rainy day activity could be to host your own family Bake Off! Ok- maybe not a full-on Bake Off style challenge, but cooking up some sweet treats with the family is a lot of fun!

Take a look at this recipe for warming cinnamon and apple biscuits and get baking!

• 177g of plain flour
• 120g of rolled oats
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 115g of pre-softened unsalted butter
• 160g of light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 120g of cubed apples. We like Granny Smith apples for this. 
• 2 tsp of lemon juice

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C, and line 1 large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Whisk together your flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until thoroughly mixed together.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract into your sugar and butter mixture.
5. Stir together the flour mix with your butter mix, before gently folding in the apple cubes.
6. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons per cookie onto your baking tray, and about 2 inches apart. You can flatten them with your spoon to make sure they cook more evenly.
7. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes, or until golden on top.
8. Allow your cookies too cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack.
9. Chow down and enjoy your autumnal treat!

For an extra tasty treat, dip your cookies into a salted caramel sauce, or for those who are extra adventurous, why not add some cubes of caramel to your cookies before baking?

Louis Extending Dark Grey Dining Table

Our Louis Dining Tables are the perfect options for busy family life. The ceramic table top can withstand heats of up to 100 degrees C, and is tough enough to avoid scratches from cutlery, keys and using plates without coasters (although we always recommend using coasters and placemats!).

6. Welly Walk

The final activity on our list of half term activities is a good old family walk. Or, as it’s Britain, a Welly Walk. Pop on your wellies and wander down to your favourite walking spots. With so many stunning rambling tracks in the UK, you’re never far from a scenic walk.

Possibly the best part about going out for a winter well walk is getting home to your lovely cosy home and warming up with a hot chocolate and one of your freshly bakes cookies!

Take a look at the National Trusts top 10 Family Walks and feel inspired to wrap up and explore the great outdoors. what’s more, this time of year there are all sorts of fruits and veg ripe and ready to pick. See if you can forage for blackberries, apples and even things like mushrooms and garlic, but be sure you only pick where it’s allowed and only pick foods which are safe to eat. Here’s a little guide to foraging to read up on before you go and pick your own.

Happy Half Term!

Whatever you decide to do this half term, we hope you have a great one! Don’t forget to share your pictures with us using #mydanetti, whether you’re making a fort with your new sofa, or baking treats are your Danetti dining table, we’d love to see how you’re spending half term.