Activities & Books to Celebrate Spring!

You’ve made it through winter and after months of cold and rainy days, the coming of spring is something to celebrate!

What is the Spring Equinox?

The Spring Equinox, also called the Vernal Equinox, marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and occurs on March 20th this year. Derived from the Latin term for “equal night,” the equinox marks one of two days throughout the year when the sun shines directly on the equator, making the length of day and night approximately equal. From this day on, the sun will continue to climb higher in the sky, increasing the length of our days. With longer days and warmer & dryer weather on the way, here are a few ways to welcome spring this year.

Activities

1. Play in the mud: Visit a park with amazing mud puddles, section off an area of your yard for muddy play, or go all out and create a mud kitchen. Nothing says spring like playing with mud!
    
2. Plant new vegetation: Whether you have a garden in the backyard or a few herbs growing on the windowsill, now it the time to get planning. Tackle your spring yard clean up to prepare your garden area for the planting of your spring plants. Prune those trees and clear out all of the dead plants. Invite your family to come together to decide what you are going to grow this year. Start your new seedlings together and watch your plants grow throughout the season!
    
3. Go on a “signs of spring” family hike: Your family hike might be a walk around the block or to your local park, or maybe you are ready to hit the trails on one of these kid-friendly hikes in the area. While hiking, encourage your children to search for new grass shoots, buds on trees, flowers popping up, and to listen for the sound of birds. If you don’t see any flowers on your walk, why not make your own with this tulip paper craft.
    
4. Get crafty: If you want to entice the birds to your yard as they return from their winter migration, check out these fabulous bird feeder crafts that you can make with the whole family.

Books

Here are some of our favorite books inspired by spring!

Gardening & planting:

• Planting a Rainbow, by Lois Ehlert
• The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle
• Lola Plants a Garden, by Anna McQuinn Spring:

Spring:

• Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring, by Kenard Pak
• When Spring Comes, by Kevin Henkes
• And Then It's Spring, by Julie Fogliano
• Belle’s Journey, by Rob Bierregaard