Finally — summer’s over! It’s time for sweaters, boots, Starbucks’ signature fall drinks, and for those leaves to start falling. You could spend all fall hunched over your computer worrying about mid-terms, or you can get in touch with your seven-year-old self that took time to relish the changing leaf colors, the local pumpkin patches, and of course, the cooler weather.

Here are five things that you probably enjoyed during your childhood that you can still enjoy this fall. (Editor’s Note: especially if you add a little spiked apple cider.):

1. Go Apple Picking: Throw on some jeans, find a cardigan, and head to the nearest apple orchard. Now that fall is here, apple orchards should be open to the public. Not sure where the closest apple orchard is? Check out Pick Your Own for all the details of the farms and orchards near you. Not only will this get you outside to enjoy the nice fall weather, it will give you a reason to bake. Once you pick out those perfect apples, call your mom and ask for her apple pie recipe, make some caramel apples, or brew cider (feel free to add alcohol, of course). Baking isn’t your thing? Well, you know what they say: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and that can’t hurt either.

2. Jump in the Leaves: Once the leaves start falling, don’t let them go to waste. Get your friends together, rake as many as them up as you possibly can, and get to jumping! You loved this a kid, and if you get past it being a kids’ pastime, you will still love it. So many schools have an abundance of quads filled trees and leaves all around them. The crunch of the leaves will be worth it, especially since this amusing activity won’t crunch any money out of your wallet.  Oh, and it turns out jumping in leaf piles is actually good for you:  According to the Children and Nature Network, “Children are smarter, cooperative, happier, and healthier when they have frequent and varied opportunities for free and unstructured play outdoors.” So, since it won’t cost you anything and will make you a happier, healthier, and smarter you — why not?

3. Get Lost in a Corn Maze: Nothing is better than getting together with your friends and heading off campus on a Saturday. And now that fall is here, it’s the season to seek out the closest corn maze near you. Not sure where to look? Check out this list of corn mazes across the nation. Corn mazes these days aren’t just for kids;  many farms get super fancy with their designs turning their cornfields into aerial pictures of Abraham Lincoln on a penny and the elaborate design of a baseball. Since corn mazes usually are on larger local farms, expect a whole day of fun that will bring you back to your childhood — many have petting zoos, pumpkin patches, corn canons (yes — you can shoot corn out of a canon!), and loads of tasty treats.

4. Pick a Pumpkin and Carve It: Now that fall is here, Halloween isn’t far off (!!). While you’re at the local corn maze, you and your friends can probably pick up some pumpkins. If not, don’t worry — pumpkin patches will be in abundance as soon as October rolls around. Remember the first time you helped carve a pumpkin and your parents let you pull out all the seeds? Find a pumpkin that suits you, get a carving kit (they usually cost between $3 to $10) from your local grocery store or Wal-Mart/Target, and get creative. You can do something simple or opt for a more elaborate design. If you really want to get back to your childhood, put the movie Hocus Pocus on while you carve away. Who says you can’t enjoy seasonal activities while in college?

5. Anticipate Halloween: Remember when you were seven and all you could think about was your Halloween costume for that year? Well — get excited and start planning. Although Halloween costumes were a lot less slutty and a lot more cutesy than what you’re probably thinking about now, you should still be excited about finding the perfect costume. Get your friends together and hit up the local costume stores that are probably already popping up. Figure out what costume will best fit you this year. Will it stand alone or work in as a group? Are you buying or making? And, most importantly, what sort of fun-size candies will you be eating when you finally get to wear it?

Getting into the Halloween spirit means more than figuring out the most creative way to look slutty and drinking the night away while dancing with a giant penis. Don’t get me wrong, do all that too, but in the final week until All Hallow’s Eve, make sure take part in other festive activities in honor of the best holiday of the YEAR.

Pumpkin picking and carving are not just for kids and their families. I’ve seen some pretty great pumpkins glowing from dorm room windows. For instance, the person who carved this Patrick Swayze memorial pumpkin is definitely getting lucky on Halloween night by glow of Patrick’s face. Pumpkin carving is a fun group activity and just another reason to sip a few cocktails on a weeknight. Oh, and you can’t forget that picking a pumpkin means having something to throw at your ex-boyfriend’s door come mischief night. Do you know how long it takes clean up pumpkin goo? That’ll show him.

After you have your fair share of mischief, hide out at the nearest movie theater and take in a showing of The House of the Devil, releasing on Oct. 30th. Described as a “wet dream for horror fans,” you may or may not leave the theater screaming, in tears and donning some wet undies. Nothing like a mild heart attack to get you in the Halloween spirit.

Also, it would be in your best interest to Google the phrase “haunted corn maze” and see if there are any results in your area. A late night trip to a corn maze may seem lame, but believe me, it’s exhilarating, especially if you pregame it. It’s like your very own version of The Blair Witch Project, but better because you won’t be nauseated by the poor camera skills.

Halloween is like my birthday – I don’t celebrate it all in one day.  Celebrations will start tomorrow night, so it’s best to throw yourself headfirst into the Halloween spirit (or a nice big punchbowl full of Halloween spirits…). Just make sure you have one costume for every night of the week.

A costume-repeat? That’s just frightening.

Take advantage of the cool fall nights– they are more fun (and can be more romantic) than you think!

Have a bonfire

Summer bonfires make you sweat. Fall bonfires keep you warm without overheating. It’s the perfect time to gather your friends, cozy up around some flames, and reminisce about the “good old days”– like the time you got so drunk you passed out in your dorm stairwell (which may have been last weekend). If you’re still in the creepy Halloween mood, you can pull a “Summer Camp” and recite urban legends under the moon, or you can pass around a couple of forties and see where the story-telling gets you. Bonfires are a great way to set the mood in a group setting, so if you’ve been feeling shy around someone special, it’s the perfect opportunity to initiate something.

Go on a Hayride

Nothing screams “Autumn” like sitting on a bale of hay and being taken around a farm on a horse-drawn wagon. After being cooped up in stuffy lecture halls all day, a hayride is literally a breath of fresh air. If you’re feeling stressed from school, go on a clear night, sit back, relax, and be one with nature… and the twenty other people crammed into the cart! Besides, sharing a bale of hay on a cool night with a guy is a great excuse to snuggle up. Got energy to burn? Try a corn maze instead!

Be Creative.

Make leaf rubbings. Make a scarecrow to scare creepy dudes away from your room. Carve a pumpkin. Trace your hand and make it a turkey. String some acorns, or make an apple doll. If you can’t think of things to make, call your mom and ask her what kind of junk you used to bring home from kindergarten art class. Recreate it, and see if you’ve gotten any better.

Play in Leaves.

In case you haven’t noticed, the things on this list are things you may have thought you’d outgrown since the autumn days of yesteryear. Think again. Life is short, and the days are getting shorter… put your inhibitions aside and jump in a pile of leaves on your way home from the dining hall. If you wait much longer, you’ll be forced to jump into snowbanks, and you might end up with frostbite or ice in your shirt. Note: If you play in leaves on your Friday stumble home from the bar, you may or may not be reported for domestic disturbance, so keep the noise down.

Eat. Everything.

Everything fall-related that is. I’m talking candy corn, pumpkin pie, caramel apples, popcorn balls– and wash it down with hot apple cider! You don’t need a fall holiday as an excuse to indulge in some of the season’s finest sweets and treats. Grab the girls and have a fall picnic on the quad– you won’t have to worry about summer’s pesky mosquitoes or the smell of citronella candles. Besides, you can multitask and eat these goodies while you engage in any of the above activities!

After a week filled with tests, papers, about five gallons of coffee, and way too much spiked apple cider (Quickie Recipe: Apple cider + apple brandy, varying the amount of brandy for the amount of drunk, is f*ckin’ delish), a few of my friends and I decided to be a bunch of kids. We hunted down a corn maze and got utterly lost in it, went to a pumpkin patch, and picked apples.

We didn’t do anything particularly stupid or sophomoric — unless you count getting in a fight with a 10-year-old over the existence of infinity. No, we just had fun. Fall is my favorite season, and I hadn’t properly enjoyed it in years ’til last weekend. The only thing missing was a hay ride…

This week was/is slightly worse, with a ten-page-paper that was due yesterday (that still isn’t done, shhh) and a psychology test tomorrow I haven’t really studied for. But this weekend, after dealing with trying to write a paper for an outrageously vague professor (who I think really only teaches because he a) likes to hear his voice b) likes to make students feel stupid) and studying for a test in a class I sometimes think I’d enjoy more if it weren’t for the tests, we’re doin’ it again. No, not the corn maze and pumpkin bit. But hey. Come on, you guys. You honestly mean to tell me that you wouldn’t go to FrightFest if given the chance?

I’ve also done yoga twice this week. I have yet to work up the balls (probably because they’re still ovaries) to actually go to the yoga class my school offers, since I’m not sure how I feel showing up in an old band t-shirt and a pair of $5 Target sweatpants when everyone else is wearing stuff that I feel like they could go out on a date in. I know you’ve probably heard all of your gym-buddies say it, but yoga really DOES get those happy-endorphins flowing. I found a nifty little 15-minute routine that I’ve been going by, and while I’m not saying that I suddenly have the ability to breeze though War and Peace in about three hours, I do feel…well, lighter. And that’s a hell of a change from last week.

So. Moral of these past two weeks’ story?

Calm the hell down.