When spring arrives, it seems to brighten up our lives - with the arrival of baby animals, pretty flowers, and nature springing to life.
It's time to take advantage of what spring and nature have to offer, and get creative with some springtime activities! The team at Pottiagogo have pulled together a list of 12 spring crafts and activities for your family to choose from planting sunflowers, to going on hunts for ladybugs! So without further ado, take a look at some of our springtime activities:
1. Plant Sunflowers
Spring is an important time for planting seeds, as the days lengthen and the sun strengthens. Therefore, we recommend popping to your local garden centre and picking up some sunflower seeds (the perfect flowers to bloom this spring!)
Sunflowers can be sown straight into the ground where they are going to flower, so make sure the space you are going to sow is weed free by using a trowel to remove the weeds. Place the seed in carefully and cover them up with soil. Don’t forget to water the seeds gently. As they grow, if the plants are crowded, then thin them out to about 45cm apart leaving the strongest, tallest plants. As your sunflower begins to grow taller than you, you will need to help support the stem, by placing a cane near the stem and loosely tying the cane to the plant with string.
2. Go Camping
Camping is great fun and a chance to "be at one with nature". Many happy memories are made when sitting around a campfire sharing jokes or fairy tales and stargazing at night (watch out for shooting stars!). If your little one is potty training, you don’t need to fret. Simply, throw a travel potty into your boot and you’re ready to go!
3. Dig for Worms
Worms like cool, dark environments, so look for them in the evening or after a rain shower. Wear some old clothes, grab a shovel or spade, and a tub to position them in (with air holes, of course). When you're done inspecting your worms, release them into your compost pile or garden beds to help improve the soil.
4. Take a Trip to the Woods
It's a beautiful time of year to go for a walk in the woods and admire the new growth of spring. The time will surely pass by with hikes, orienteering tracks, and bike paths! If it's warm enough to enjoy the outdoors, don't forget to bring a picnic and a waterproof picnic blanket. Somehow, food tastes better al fresco!
5. Go on a Spring Walk & Fly A Kite
Take a family stroll to see what signs of spring you can find. It may be the appearance of buds on trees, fresh flowers, baby lambs, or the sound of a cuckoo. Spring is even the perfect weather for heading out with a kite to a nearby park or hill (especially if it's windy!)
6. Make a Hungry Caterpillar
With the brighter days, kids can go out and play all day. For a perfect lunch time snack, why don’t you create an edible caterpillar with the kids? Simply create the body out of grapes or apple slices, the face out of a cherry tomato or strawberry slice, and the eyes out of tasty googly eyes or raisins. Bonus points to those who go and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar afterwards!
Image from Bright Star Kids
7. Splash in Some Puddles
There's something about rain showers and puddles in the spring. Put on your wetsuit and wellies and head outdoors to play around in the puddles around your local area (you can still run a bath afterwards to warm and clean everyone!)
8. Paint Some Butterflies
Taking a piece of paper, folding it in half, opening it, and putting lots of different splashes of paint into the center of your piece of paper is one of the simplest and most enjoyable art projects for any child. The more colors there are, the better. To flatten the paper, fold it again and gently run your hands along the fold. Then open your eyes to see your lovely butterfly!
9. Go on a Ladybird Hunt
For a Ladybird Hunt, take your magnifying glasses and a plastic tub outside. When you catch a ladybird, place it in the tub carefully so you can count its spots.
Create a Ladybird Chart to keep track of how many ladybirds you find with different numbers of spots. When you're done, kindly let them go.
10. Grow Vegetables
Every child enjoys gardening; there's something magical about squishing your fingertips into the dirt, and of course, watering the seeds after they've been planted. The most important thing you can do is keep your plants well-watered. To keep your child interested in the growing process, take weekly photographs of the vegetables' progress along with their measurements, or have them draw weekly pictures or an image of how they see the finished product.
11. Make Fingerprint Bunnies
It's a little sloppy, but it's a lot of fun! Using your thumb print dipped in paint for the head and other fingerprints for the rest of the body for your bunny family keepsake.
12. Do Some Baking
What child doesn’t love baking? Spring is the perfect time to bake a batch of cookies or buns and use brightly colored icing sugar to decorate them. For fun cookie recipes, explore here.
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