Happy 1st Day of Spring, everyone!
Well, it will be Spring in just a few hours ... 12:57 p.m. to be exact! The Vernal Equinox is upon us, and despite the chilly temperatures and the patches of snow on the ground, we are at very last, done with Spring proper. Of course, when has Spring every acted properly?
Anyhoo ... I've been writing out some notes about nature "moments" to enjoy through the years with my Little Bear (who'll be 10 months next week!) and I thought you might like to see them. Just some brainstorming here ... nothing too formal yet ... things will take shape as we move along through the seasons. :)
(Note: These ideas are for March and April - aka, Early Spring.)
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* On the 1st day of March ... lions roar! have fun with roaring sounds, lion pictures/stuffed animals. Read How Loud is a Lion? together.
* Maple sugaring - visit the woods in all their late winter glory - patches of snow, bare branches, old leaves - and befriend a sugar maple, feel that rough bark!
* Melting - slushy spots along the driveway, puddles where ice had been, drip-drip-drip sounds
* Mud - push bits of things (twigs, pebbles, leaves) into the newly formed mud out front ... ooh, it's squishy! Squelchy sounds! Read Mud!
* Make (paper plate) masks for Mardi Gras - play peekaboo!
* Go for a wind walk on a blustery day. Read When the Wind Blows
* Go for a rain walk on a showery day (brief, just to feel it)
* Look for puddles, throw things in to *splash* (might be too cold yet for piggy dips)
* Watch the forsythia bushes for buds and blossoms ... snip some branches to force indoors
* When the nights get milder, open the window and listen for peepers in the vernal pool out front
* Watch the night sky for the full sap (March) and pink (April) moons.
* Make a pinwheel and/or a kite for windy spring days
* Visit new lambs at our local farm, and back at home, look for soft things like fleece, yarn, cotton balls. Read Mary Had a Little Lamb.
* Find pussy willows to feel and admire - so silky soft! Like kitty cat paws. :) Might find some near the marsh growing wild ... if not, bring some home from the market. Cut branches to place in a vase at home. Read Pussy Willow.
* Explore sweet, earthy carrots - steamed and mashed/chunked, baked into mini pancakes or muffins, start seeds for the garden, read The Carrot Seed.
* Look at smooth eggs - so many sizes and colors! - and try some homemade egg custard (Nana's recipe). Visit neighbor's chickens and see eggs in the nest.
* Listen to Celtic music while driving in the car, or dancing at home - Celtic Dreamland
* Sweep, sweep, sweep! This is the way we sweep our house (steps/walk) clean, wonderful activity on bright dry days.
* Wipe and polish, do our part! For family spring cleaning leading up to Easter, little cloth rags and natural beeswax polish, This is the way we clean our house ...
* Make fingerpaint rainbows with natural dyes/watercolors ...
* Look for rainbows on showery/sunny days
* Enjoy clay play - homemade play dough, natural dyes (rainbow shades)
* What do frogs say? Peep, croak! Where can we find frogs? Read The Tale of Jeremy Fisher.
* Notice where robins appear - and how they hop! Can we hop like a robin? Can we make a tidy warm nest like a robin?
* Check branches for new buds and shoots - where is life resurrecting itself?
* Visit the pond to see ducks! Quack, quack, quack! Read Make Way for Ducklings. Perhaps ... visit the ducklings statues in Boston's Public Garden.
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There's so much to explore in early spring! What "comforts and joys" do you look for at this time of year? If you have any ideas to add to my list, please leave me a note below. I'm currently working on a list for late spring (May and June) and I'll share that in a future post, too.
Well my friends, I hope you enjoy this first - much-longed-for - day of spring. What's it like where you live? Is it springy? It's a bit showery and gray here this morning, but NOT cold and that's nice for a change! Skies are supposed to clear later and I bet there will be lots of melting. Can't wait to see all this white gone for good! (At least until December ...)
See you all here again very soon ...
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