When summer’s heat finally starts to loosen its sweaty grip, it is time to take advantage of the cooler weather and make time for some family fun before winter swoops in and turns the outdoors into an icy wasteland. Make the most of the crisp breeze and twirling leaves with some of these fun family fall activities.

10. Create a Fairy Village

Decorating one’s home is one of the basic fun family fall activities you can do. Add a bit of magical whimsy to your garden with the addition of a fairy village. Pave the way for your pixie guests with glow in the dark moonstones that absorb daylight and then shine like moonbeams for about three hours after dark.

9. Plant an Autumn Garden

Autumn is the perfect time to plant broccoli, carrots, kale, lettuces, and spinach to harvest just in time for your holiday feasts. This is the reason why gardening has become a good option for fun family fall activities. In addition, some neighborhood food banks accept donations from gardeners with bumper crops. So, if your garden bounty fills your cupboard to overflowing, consider sharing the culinary wealth!

8. Go Stargazing

When the heat of summer dissipates, turn your eyes towards the skies and contemplate the heavenly bodies with a bit of stargazing. Consider celebrating the autumnal equinox with a Starry Starry Night Party. Provide telescopes and constellation maps to help your guests with their celestial observations.

7. Host a Halloween Party

Whether you prefer to make merry with a Monster Mash party or a Zombie Prom, autumn is the perfect time to host a Halloween party. Indulge in your love of the macabre with a movie marathon of your favorite fright night videos or several seasons of your favorite television series which follows the undead and their unwilling prey. Themed food and favors will have guests howling for more!

6. Gingerbread Time!

Don’t wait until Christmas to construct houses from food. Kick off the seasonal cooking early with an autumn-themed gingerbread house. Make good use of those black jelly beans and other, less popular, candies with a creepy house crafted with candies.

5. Have a Ball

Some claim that fall is football season, but you don’t have to like watching people pass the pigskin to have a ball. Gather the family and toss around a ball yourself! Don’t worry about losing the ball in the leaves, and never fear that Mr. Snuggles (the Labradoodle from down the street) will run off with your ball—choose a big ball and watch those fears diminish!

4. Zipline Fun

Adrenaline junkies need to venture no further than the backyard with this personal Zipline. Zoom past your neighbor’s shed as you speed across your back property in record time–before plopping safely into a giant pile of leaves. Now, this takes the idea of jumping into a freshly raked pile of leaves to a whole new level.

3. Scare the Neighbors

What is autumn without a few spooky pranks? Fake bloodied feet, spooky stickers, and other festival fare serve to celebrate the “trick” portion of the old inquiry: Trick or Treat? (Just make sure to keep hi-jinx tasteful and safe to avoid turning your neighbors into enemies!)

2. Get Crafty

With the kids back in school, and the holidays still a while away, autumn is a perfect time to get back to your crafts. Not only does the crisp autumn air rejuvenate the need to create, but the resulting crafts also work well for holiday gift-giving! So make your list, check it twice, and start getting crafty just in time for Christmas.

1. One Last Campout

With fall’s first frost looming, there just might be enough time to have one final campout before things turn too frigid for outdoor fun. Gather up some marshmallows and chocolate bars, and pack up the tent for a final foray into the backwoods (or backyard).