Greetings from the Wellness & Sustainability Council!
The autumn season is upon us. Leaves are beginning to turn to beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. Flocks of Canada geese can be seen and heard flying overhead. Daylight hours are beginning to lessen and temperatures are beginning to chill.
Fortunately, bothersome pests such as mosquitos and ticks are less prevalent so it is the perfect time to spend time outside. Here are some of our favorite ways to spend time outside with our families:
- Go for a nature hike
- Make a fall leaf collection… just remember to collect leaves which have already fallen to the ground
- Go apple picking
- Visit a pumpkin patch
- Go on a hayride
- Rake leaves into a big pile and jump!
- Camp outside in your backyard
- Build a campfire and make s’mores
- Visit one of the Cranbury parks
- Go on a geocache adventure (Cranbury has two geocaches hidden in the parks!)
For some, fall may mean spending more time indoors. Here are some ideas for you:
- Make warm comfort foods – think chili, soup, fresh-baked bread
- Watch a football game
- Decorate for the season
- Watch a Halloween movie
- Carve a pumpkin and roast the seeds
- Make fall-themed crafts
- Make a pine-cone bird feeder
- Go through all your “stuff” and donate what you no longer need or use
- Have a Halloween-themed dance party
- Make a pillow and blanket fort
While you are inside, do the planet and your wallet a favor… unplug any unused electronics and appliances. Did you know that electronics and appliances still consume power when they are plugged into an outlet – even while they are switched off or in a standby mode? This is referred to as “vampire power”, “phantom electricity”, or standby mode. Take a quick walk around your house. How many appliances or electronics are plugged into an outlet, but are not currently being used? Common phantom power consumers include cell phone chargers, televisions, microwave, toaster, blow dryer, coffee maker, nightlights, and others.
This fall let the only vampire or phantom who enters your home say trick-or-treat first. J