The Little Paper

Whether your style is to plunge headfirst into fall (agenda in hand) or tentatively dip in your toe (shaking the sand from your shoes); we’ve come up with some tips designed to ease your transition.  

Register early: classes fill up fast!
Toronto Parks and Recreation registration starts at 7am, 11-15 Sep (depending on the district). Best to be up at the crack of dawn; you may get in after your first try or it might take the better part of the morning. Gymnastics, music and preschool programs fill up fast, as does anything at Riverdale Farm. You can register for both fall and winter sessions at the same time.

Toronto Public Libraries offer fantastic, free Ready for Reading Storytimes for babies through to preschool-aged children. Again, register early to avoid disappointment.

Be realistic; try to balance the quantity of classes with enough family down time.

Walkabout
According to Environment Canada, we’re in for one of the best displays of fall colour in years with plentiful blue skies and white fluffy clouds as a backdrop. September and early October are peak viewing times, so lace or velcro up those shoes and get outside. The P.I.N.E. Project offers after school nature programs and a monthly tracking club; Rouge Park and Toronto Tree Tours host guided walks throughout September.
What to do with the leaf harvest? Papier Mâché lanterns with fall leaves pressed inside and stained glass windows made from leaves and crayon shavings ironed between wax paper are a couple of classics.

Stretch it out
Take advantage of the mild weather; there’s still time to grab an ice-cream topped with fruit and whipped cream at the fantastically kitschy Dutch Dreams, or pretend you’re in Spain and linger a little longer than you should at Casa Mendoza’s lakefront patio in the West end.

Head to Dufferin Grove Park for their outdoor Friday Night Suppers (6pm), and Circlesing with Jennielea on Tuesdays (11am). Or gaze at the night sky at The David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, offering stargazing talks and observatory nights on Saturdays through to 30 October. Here’s a link with some great kids reads on stargazing and a site which shows you how to create a batik star map to track the seasons.