There’s something about autumn that makes you want to go out and savor the season as a family. Maybe it’s the cooler temperatures and clearer air—or maybe it’s just the nagging feeling that you’d better have all the fun you can before winter moves in! Here are our top five picks for fall family fun.

Plant now, grow later

Gardening isn’t over just because summer is. Now is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs (as long as you don’t live in the south, as the bulbs need to be cold for a number of weeks to grow properly). Visit your favorite nursery or online gardening store to find bulbs with names that kids will love: ‘Flaming Parrot’ and ‘Blueberry Ripple’ (tulips), ‘Jennifer Rebecca’ and ‘Starship Enterprise’ (irises) and ‘Spellbinder’ and ‘Pink Parasol’ (daffodils). Or how about growing your own garlic for yummy garlic bread and pasta? Planting cloves of supermarket garlic may work, but again, a nursery is a more reliable source. Mark your plantings with Personalized Plant Pokes so you know where everything is in the spring.

You can also grow flowers indoors on a windowsill. Your kid-friendly best bet: an amaryllis, which will likely bloom around the holidays. “Amaryllis are fun because they come in vibrant colors and have four or five huge blooms on a tall thick stalk,” notes Lisa Whittlesey of Texas A&M University and coordinator for the Junior Master Gardener program.