‘A kite, a sky, and a good firm breeze,
And acres of ground away from trees,
And one hundred yards of clean, strong string —
O boy, O boy! I call that Spring!’  -Mark Sawyer

Spring is a season of renewal, after the cold and dark of winter. The world around us is literally coming back to life. There are signs of this new life, both plant and animal, all around us. The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping. There are fresh spring winds and refreshing showers, making nature clean and green again. Inspired by nature, we’ve been making some plans for this spring. Here’s what’s on our spring list so far…

Spring:

–Visit a Local Farm or Zoo: We like to take the whole family for a visit to a local farm. We admire the new born lambs, staying close to their mothers, and the yellow chicks waddling about. We toured a local farm last spring, and it was such a treat! The daffodils were in full blooms, and the animals were clearly enjoying the warmer weather. We also enjoyed a delicious spring meal. If there’s not a farm offering tours in your area, try your local zoo. Our zoo has partnered with a local non-profit to create an exhibit that enables visitors to touch, feed, and groom farm animals.

–Visit a Botanical Garden: Each spring, we look forward to visiting our local botanical garden. We take our time wandering about. The botanical garden we visit has a children’s garden the boys love to explore. There are climbing boulders, whimsical bridges, a waterfall, and a small cave. There are also fish to feed and peacocks strolling around the gardens as well.

–Go Strawberry Picking & Make Strawberry Treats: We try to go strawberry picking every year. We’ve also grown our own strawberries several times, to varying degrees of success, lol. I plan to get my hands on some strawberries as soon as possible, and we’ll be making strawberry ice cream, strawberry milk shakes, and strawberry shortcake. So delicious!

–Make a Trip to the Nursery: If you are highly ambitious, plant a garden. Or start small by experimenting with some herbs or container gardening. We just moved into a new house. So this spring, we are sticking to growing a few herbs in pots. But we’re hoping to start a small raised bed and composting soon!

–Get Creative with Spring Crafts: Look for spring crafts to do with your children. One of our favorite resources for seasonal crafting is The Artful Year, by Jean Van’t Hul. It’s full of ideas and recipes to help your family celebrate the seasons. Our boys made their own stepping stone last spring. It’s now proudly displayed near our front door. We’re still waiting for some craft inspiration for this spring. Any ideas are welcome!

–Visit the Farmer’s Market: Your local farmer’s market is the place to go for seasonal produce such as spring greens, fresh herbs, and spring veggies (like radishes, peas, and baby carrots). Use the goodies you find to prep some mason jar salads or cook up a pot of your favorite spring soup.

–Attend a Spring Festival: Spring is the time when outdoor festivals really kick into gear. Search for festivals offered in your area. Many are free and entertaining for those of all ages. We attend our local spring festival yearly. It’s held right along the banks of a local river. There are arts and crafts, pony rides, food trucks, music, a parade and more!

–Bring Symbols of Spring Indoors: Watch for signs of spring and bring them into your home whenever possible. Look for spring flowers, flowering branches, egg shells, bird nests… Go daffodils picking and bring home a large bouquet. We attend a daffodil festival. The boys run around picking the flowers, and then we get to enjoy the hand-picked bouquets back at home. Better yet, obtain the bulbs and grow them yourself to pick from the comfort of your own home.

–Explore Nature, Get Active, & Have a Picnic: I look forward to the first warm spring days all winter long. It’s the perfect time to enjoy the fresh air, so nature hikes and walks in the park are in order, as are bike rides, and games of catch or frisbee. Don’t forget to take your kite along, and bubbles are a fun way for the kids to pass a spring Sunday afternoon as well. It’s also the perfect time for canoeing, floating, or fishing! You might be hungry after all of this activity so don’t forget to pack a spring picnic on your way out the door. Grab strawberries, spring veggies, olives, and cheese and crackers or make up some salads or sandwiches. And bring strawberry lemonade to drink. Yum!

–Create A Rainy Day Box: Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, first inspired me to create a rainy day box for our boys. Although, Mrs. Sharp has an entire cupboard dedicated to ‘rainy day amusements’. I’d haphazardly been doing my own version of the rainy day box for years, but Mrs. Sharp inspired me to be more intentional with its use. As with any good tradition, limits help preserve the excitement. So, the rainy day box only comes out on snowy or rainy days. The possibilities for what to include in your box are limitless, but I usually have various types of paper, stickers, popsicle sticks, tape, glue sticks, pipe cleaners, kid safe scissors, brown paper bags, and ribbon. I’ve also added activity books, small puzzles, and a variety of other arts and crafts supplies that I’ve collected over the years.

–Take a Walk in the Rain: Why not go out for a short walk when there’s a light spring shower, no thunder or lightening of course! Put on your rain gear and take an umbrella too, if you wish. Our boys love to jump in puddles. Then, head home for a bath to get everyone clean and warmed up again!

–Let the Fresh Air In: Early spring is a great time to open the windows to let some fresh air in, unless of course you’re suffering from seasonal allergies, in which case, I’m truly sorry. I try to open our windows for at least an hour a day starting in early spring. It seems to make a noticeable difference in the air quality of our home.

–Do Some Spring Cleaning: I’m usually in the mood to do a bit of spring cleaning after being inside more during the winter months. I’m planning to focus on declutting this year, with a bit of actual cleaning along the way when necessary. If you are looking for guidance in this area, consider Marie Kondo’s Spark Joy. It’s an illustrated companion to her bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Her plan is easy to follow and will help you simplify and declutter your home quickly. Another great book that I’ve returned to for years, (anytime I need some help with decluttering, organization, or intentional living), is Tsh Oxenreider’s Organized Simplicity. This book addresses more than your physical environment. Not only will it help you get your home in order, but it will guide you through how to make a family mission statement, manage your time and money, create a home management notebook, and so much more! Finally, if you’re short on time and like working in short bursts over a long period, you might want to consider Organize Now: a Week-by-Week Guide to Simplify Your Space and Your Life , by Jennifer Ford Berry. It’s another book that I often consult when needing to overhaul paperwork, routines, events, or personal spaces. Lots of great tips here!

–Read Books About Spring: Go to your local library and check out books about all things spring related. As I’ve mentioned, we love reading and I’m planning a separate post about our favorite spring picture books. So please watch for that. One of my personal favorite reads for spring is The Secret Garden. I would reread it each and every spring if I didn’t already have an exorbitantly long reading list!

That’s our spring bucket list for this year.

What are your spring plans? We can’t wait to hear! 

Thanks for reading!