Spring is here, and we bet you are as excited about it as we are. As Floridians, we are used to sunshine, blue skies, and green grass, and after months of winter, it’s such a pleasure to welcome spring back into our lives. As you spend more time enjoying the great outdoors with your family, it’s high time that we all update our daily schedules to include some spring-related activities.
The natural world is bursting with new life and new potential during the spring. Winter is over, and we’ve yet to experience the scalding sun of late summer. This is an excellent time of year to involve your children in activities that teach them the intricacies of the world around them. The following parenting tips are fun and educational ways to take advantage of this magnificent season.
Plant A Garden
Whether you plant a vegetable garden or a patch of beautiful flowers, there is so much you children can learn about life itself from watching a tiny seed grow into a beautiful plant. It’s powerful for children to know that something so small (as they are) can have a tremendous impact. A single seed can turn into a beautiful flower or even a plant to feed their family. But there’s more to gardening than learning how a seed grows into a plant. Children also benefit from time spent outside with their hands in the dirt. Simple activities like digging in the soil can be calming and therapeutic for adults and children alike. They learn about the responsibility of maintaining their plants with water and regular weeding, and most importantly, it’s time you get to spend together away from the distractions of devices.
Make A Birdhouse
Floridians are lucky to be surrounded by as much flora as we are fauna. There are hundreds of species of birds that make Florida their home (even though some only temporarily). Spring is when many of those birds make their nests, prepare to lay eggs, and start the next generation of species. What better time than spring to build a birdhouse with your kids and hopefully welcome a new bird family to your property. If you’re pretty handy with tools, tons of free plans are available online. If woodworking is not your thing, you can purchase kits at local home improvement stores and many other places online. This project, like gardening, provides the opportunity to teach your children a great deal about the natural world while helping them develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and self-confidence.
Learn About Pollinators
Teaching your children about the natural world and gardening without learning about pollinators would be challenging. It’s natural for people (children and adults) to fear stinging insects out of a sense of self-preservation. But, often, that fear leads to a lack of understanding of the vital role that pollinators like bees play in producing our food. This is an excellent opportunity to teach your whole family which bugs are pests and which are helping develop the beautiful world around you. And, if you’re up to it, you might consider purchasing a bee house to provide a place of rest for the pollinators as they visit your garden.
Take A Nature Walk
If you make it through this list, you will have learned a lot about the natural world and the incredible things happening as springtime bursts with color. Head to a local park where your family can hike and find real-life examples of the lessons you’ve learned. You could count the birds you see, look for new plants bursting from the ground, and keep your eye out for pollinators like bees and butterflies. After a chilly winter, your whole family will benefit from plenty of outside time.
You’ll notice that most of the activities listed above are inexpensive and can be done from home. This spring, as you find new ways to entertain your family, remind them that some of the best experiences we can have are the moments we spend together with our families enjoying the rich blessings of the natural world. For more parenting tips or to learn more about St. Barnabas Episcopal School admissions, contact our office today.
