A Little Autumn Adventure

I know I keep saying this, but I just love autumn! It's such a magical season: when everything starts to change, when mother nature shows us some of her most beautiful and rich earthy tones, and there are little treasures to be found everywhere. When I was a child, I loved collecting some of these treasures. Conkers. Finding one still in its shell and getting to peel it off to reveal a big shiny conker was the best reward. I even tried (and failed) to plant one; my mum wasn't best pleased to discover I was attempting to grow a tree in a pot of mud in my bedroom! 

Yet it occurred to me the other day, that I have never taken the children out to collect conkers. Despite the fond memories of doing it as a child myself, I'd not shared this joy with them. A friend, who lives just up the road from me, posted a photo online of her children with their conker haul and mentioned that there was a great tree to collect them from by the farm just near her house. It was a dry, sunny morning so I decided we would go after the morning school run.

Once I'd dropped Little N off at school, J and I walked down the road with a bag to see how many conkers we could find. And, my goodness were we spoilt! There were enormous, fresh, shiny conkers everywhere! I picked one up and showed it to J, whose eyes went wide as he said "wowwww!" I just adore his inquisitive and curious nature and how keen he is to explore and get involved. I asked him if he could find some more, so off he went collecting more conkers than his little hands could possibly ever carry. 

Once we had filled our bag to the brim, we strolled back home. J sat in the buggy inspecting his bounty of conkers; he loves the shape and feel of them and has found lots of ways to play with them at home. He likes to bang them together to see what sound they make and he also likes to roll them along the floor, as their irregular shape means they go off in all different directions and he delights in chasing them across the room! 

After such a busy and fun-filled morning it was time for a snack and a drink. I had packed some mini rice cakes and flavoured spring water from Aldi Mamia’s award-winning 100% organic baby food range, which has been developed in response to the needs of real mums and dads, and starts at just 59p. Aldi had kindly sent a hamper of family essentials to try out and enjoy whilst exploring the great outdoors, including pouches, fruit pots, rice cakes and drinks. I thought the rice cakes were the ideal snack to take with us as they are small and healthy, but not too filling so I knew they wouldn't spoil J's lunch. He really enjoyed them, and polished off the bag before heading for a nap. He definitely needed it after all that fresh air!

What snacks do your children enjoy when out on autumn adventures?

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This post is an entry for BritMums #MamiaDaysOut Linky Challenge, sponsored by Aldi Mamia.