Believe it or not, spring is finally here. Mother Nature might not have gotten the memo, and the weather is keeping us guessing, but both of my children have been in celebration mode for a month already.
Knowing that some days are best suited for indoor family activities and others for playing outside, I put together a list of fun things to do to rejoice in the arrival of the sunshine, the buds and, eventually, the warm weather!
1. Growing and maintaining plants from seed:
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I started actively gardening about five years ago, and ever since my kids came along, I’ve tried to instill in them my love of nature. The sheer genius of nature never ceases to amaze me, and I enjoy teaching my children that fruit grows on trees and that vegetables do not come packaged in plastic!
Growing plants from seeds with your kids is a great way to start a garden and demonstrate the fragile beauty of nature. In our family, what works best and is easy enough for my almost-four-year-old’s clumsy little fingers is to grow beans.
It’s a sprout that requires little maintenance and grows fairly rapidly. If you germinate the seeds in a damp paper towel, you can even watch them sprouting before you transplant them in the garden.
2. Drawing on the windows before their annual cleaning:
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There are plenty markers, crayons and pencils designed for drawing on glass and windows. Kids unanimously love them, and parents don’t have to worry about a mess everywhere.
An added bonus is that this activity motivates parents to wash away their children’s masterpieces and give the window a full clean. Haha! And while they’re at it, parents can proceed to wash all the windows in the house to let in that gorgeous sunshine. These are the words of a woman who just moved into an apartment that’s bathed in natural light!
3. Cleaning up the yard with your kids (they don’t actually help):
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Similar to the last two activities, this one offers a nice learning opportunity for your children, but don’t expect them to be any great help.
If you have a mini-rake or small garden tools, you can identify a “safe” corner of the garden—that is to say, free of toxic plants as well as precious tulip bulbs that could be unearthed and never flower.
You can also initiate your child to composting by creating your own compost heap in the garden and adding to it with your family’s plant-based food scraps. You can then introduce your friends to your little one’s worms!
4. Visit the local farmers markets:
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Once the warm weather is here, I like to get out of town in search of regional products and farmers stands and shops.
The taste of a freshly picked strawberry and the pleasure of visiting local producers’ operations is the true highlight of my spring! And if you get the chance, go before the manure spreading and take in the real scent of spring.
5. Climb a mountain or go for a walk in nature to see it come alive:
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I have my favourite secret places where I like to walk with my kids. Unfortunately, I won’t be giving them away today #Sorry!
The key is just to go out and explore, find the places that the whole family enjoys. Pack a snack and, by all means, your camera so you can capture your cherished memories!
