1. Learn about Columbus Day

There are lots of crafts and activities for the kids to enjoy in honor of the day. To learn more, check out Columbus Day 2009. Or see if your community is having a Columbus Day parade.

2. Get outdoors

Go for a hike, go camping, rake the leaves and take turns jumping into the pile, go for a walk, explore nature, go for a bike ride — you get the idea. There’s so much to do during this wonderful season when the weather is cooler and the great outdoors beckon.

3. Stop procrastinating

Where have you been wanting to take the kids, but haven’t yet? This is a great time to visit the zoo, the children’s museum, the art museum, story time at the library, the craft store, and more.

4. Make a big screen at home

A sheet or a wall can serve as the canvas for an in-home movie fest. Rent Christopher Columbus: The Discovery on DVD or for a different “journey”, rent movies by Chris Columbus, the director.  A projector rental from Projector123.com makes it fun, easy, affordable and sure to please the whole family.

5. Talk to the kids

Here’s a great conversation starter: What do you think would be the most fun thing we could do on Columbus Day? Their answers just might surprise you — and it pays to get some input from the participants before you go planning something too elaborate.

What will YOU do? Post your comments below or share ideas.

We’ve put together a list of our favorite ways to enjoy fall weather — have a look and see which might be a fun experience for you and your family.

Nature Walks & Hiking - a great way to exercise as a family and enjoy the fresh air.

Camping - a classic bonding experience.  If you want to learn more about Camping with Kids,  check out Projector123.com series : Part 1 – Camping Trip Planning for 1st Timers; Part 2 – Experienced Campers Trip Planning Guide; Part 3 – Respecting Nature; Part 4- Packing Checklist and Part 5 – Making Memories

Bonfires – don’t worry if local ordinances prevent you from building your own — check local listings to find bonfire celebrations in your area.

Hayrides – local ranches, berry-picking farms and pumpkin patches offer seasonal family hayrides.

Festivals - from a local Oktoberfest to the state fair or customer appreciation days, fall is a great time to scope out your surroundings and find local fairs and festivals.

Local Sporting Events – after enjoying the lazy days of summer, consider participating in a fall sport like flag football or soccer. Get the kids excited about the sport by taking them to a high school or college game.

Day Trips – what wonders await you just a short drive away? Explore your own state and see what you can discover.

Picnicking – Better yet, pack a lunch and head to the park or playground for a change of lunchtime scenery. The kids are sure to love a picnic in the fall.

Geocaching – the family-friendly worldwide treasure hunt by GPS.

Leaf Collecting – fall is an ideal time for bonding with nature, teaching kids about the cycle of life, and composting leaves and lawn debris.

No matter what you’re doing, be sure to take plenty of pictures to capture the most priceless moments. You never know when you might want to create a super-sized viewing experience of a family slide show or video montage with a projector rental from Projector123.com.

Odds are, while your kids may be a little bit excited about seeing their friends again, they may have the blues about giving up their summer freedom and settling back into a routine. The good news is, you can help beat the back to school blues with these easy ideas.

Beat the Blues Strategy #1: Back to School Bash

Why not plan an event to celebrate back to school? Invite your kids’ favorite friends and their parents and let everyone enjoy catching up from the summer before school is back in session. You could call it the “Goodbye Summer” party, make it a movie night, or even get out of town for a quick weekend before the family routine changes and time grows thin again.

Ongoing Family Fun

Why not set aside some time for family during the first few weekends after school session resumes? You can grab a projector rental from Projector123.com for just $99 a weekend and hold video game wars, watch family flicks, or showcase a family vacation slideshow from summer. Use your imagination and have fun with it — it has less to do with WHAT you do, and more to do with being together during a time of transition.

Kids’ Choice

Like any change in routine, going back to school can be stressful on kids, so why not give them a little more freedom during this transition time? Offer “kids’ choice” options — for anything from weekend family activities to dinner choices, which movies to watch, or even which family game to play. Kids love to feel included and to have their opinions valued.

Got more ideas for beating the Back to School blues? Write us or post a comment here, we’d love to hear from you.

How many scraps of paper have you had in your purse or wallet with just a first name and a telephone number from cool people you’ve met as a family, either out at the park, at a kids’ birthday party, at church, at a family venue, or even at the mall? And how often do you actually get around to re-connecting with the folks attached to those scraps of paper?

Here’s the perfect solution — Create a family “calling card.”

Include the family member’s names and telephone numbers (if appropriate). Depending on how you plan to use the cards, you may want to omit the family address to avoid sharing too much information. Share the cards with friends and people you meet from church, the park, social outings, and more.

Sites like gotprint.com and vistaprint.com offer very affordable pricing on simple business cards (as little as $6.50 for 100 cards), with a ton of fun templates to choose from.

Family calling cards make it easy to connect for playdates, provides your family’s contact information in a fun way, and helps to keep in touch — especially as school gets underway and your child makes new friends.

Got a creative kid? Why not let them choose the template or design the card from scratch? It’s easier than you think. Let all the family members carry a few cards for meeting new people — be sure to talk to your kids about stranger danger and instruct them to only give cards to people they know and trust, and don’t let kids give their cards to adults or adult strangers.