Instead of finding items, this hunt asks you to make observations and use your senses in the natural world of autumn.
Most of these experiences require a breezy autumn day.
1. Watch leaves fall. They twirl, tumble, drift, or fly in the wind. The ballet is spectacular when closely observed. In a gentle breeze, each leaf takes its own lazy path, while a strong wind produces a flurry of action. Leaves of different sizes and shapes fall in different patterns as well.
2. Smell the wind. Face into the breeze and note the elusive odors of fall, different from the smells of other seasons. Can you think of a word to describe the fragrance?
3. Listen to the wind in the trees. Pine needles sound different from leaves. Quaking aspens sound different from other hardwoods. Dried leaves sound different from live ones. Do you find the sound soothing or agitating?
4. Look for fallen nuts or cones. (No wind required. If it’s windy, watch out for falling nuts.) If you’re among evergreens, you may find cones on the ground. Under hardwoods, there may be hickory nuts, walnuts, beech nuts, or acorns. Open a nut by placing it on a flat rock and striking it with a smaller flat rock. Examine the internal structure and, in most cases, taste the meat inside. All the nuts listed are edible, although acorns must be crushed and thoroughly doused with running water to leach out the tannins before eating.
5. Feel the wind on your face and in your hair.
6. Listen to the crackle of dried leaves. (No wind required.) Crunch them underfoot, scuff through them, crumple them with your hands. Each action makes a different sound.
