5 Cheap Activities for Your Little Ones in the Spring
The sun is finally starting to come out...sometimes. Good enough, right? So, let’s get out there! Here are a few ideas of things to do with the kiddos when the sun is shining bright.
Plant a flower box
Patience is good, but let’s be real, young kids are all about instant gratification. A great way to begin gardening with your toddler or preschooler is to skip the seed phase and buy flowers for them to plant into a flower box or pot.
Here’s where you hand over the garden gloves and the spade and prepare yourself for messy! Guide your kiddo into digging a hole where they want the plant to go, loosening it from it’s pot, putting it into it’s new home, filling in the hole and finally watering it.
This Springtime experience is full of scientific teachable moments including: Plants need water and sun to be happy and to grow (like us!), plants have roots which help them to drink up water and nutrients, worms are good for soil, etc. Thanks to you and your young one, your Everett porch is now a whole lot prettier!
To help in your endeavors, check out a few books from the Everett Public Library about gardening with kids.
Puddle Stomping
We parents tend to teach our kiddos to avoid the puddles, but for this activity your child will be thrilled when you give them the green light to jump, stomp and splash in every puddle they find. You may want rubber boots, you might want an umbrella but you’ll definitely want you camera...and maybe a towel.
This is usually a short activity because little one will get wet and chilly. That’s okay, because hot cocoa in the Spring on a rainy day after puddle stomping is just about the perfect childhood memory.
After you've chilled to the bone, grab a hot chocolate or tea at one of Everett's coffee shops like CafeWorks or Silver Cup.
Nature Walk
A walk is just a walk but when you’re on the hunt for “Signs of Spring” a walk can be so much more! Arm your toddler or preschooler with a bag for collecting nature treasures and explain that you are searching for signs that Springtime is here.
(Sidenote: I always told my little ones that they could pick flowers that grew on their own, but not ones that someone had planted!)
Ask your child what they might see or hear that would tell them that it’s Spring. Help your child be aware of all their senses as they walk. What do they hear? Are birds singing? Are squirrels scampering about? What about the wind?
Direct your child’s attention to the ground where more bugs are about and buds and flowers are bursting forth. Have them look up to the magnolia trees which are now in full bloom here in Everett. Smell the flowers together. See the new, fresh green leaves making their appearance on the branches.
And what about the sky? The Springtime sky is often interesting with textured clouds or maybe it’s clear and blue. Our kids are easily awed and often see things that we miss. What is your little one showing you?
Picnic
You’re going to make lunch for you and your little one anyway, so today make an occasion of it! There are so many park options for this event (or even your backyard?), but keep in mind that the grass may be wet (cause, you know- Everett), so either a tarp under your blanket or a picnic table will keep your rears dry.
There’s no right or wrong way to do a picnic. You can go all out with a cooler of lemonade, homemade granola, and organic jicama sticks in your basket or you can stop at Safeway on the way for a “lunchables”. Your kid won’t care either way. They’ll love time outside in the Springtime air with you.
But what if it’s raining on picnic day? Us Everett folk always have a rain induced plan B ready. Plan B for this event is called, “Carpet Picnic”. Spread out that picnic blanket on your living room floor and picnic anyway! Maybe find nature sounds to listen to? Hopefully your kids will think this is as much fun as mine did.
Summit Park or Lions Park are both great places to take your little one, especially if you like views and playgrounds!
The Usual
Never underestimate the power of the first sidewalk chalk and bubble blowing day of the year. Stop by Target for a fresh box of chalk and a new bottle of bubbles, invite a friend over and let the fun begin. Your Everett sidewalk never looked so good!
Of course there’s a million more things to do with your kiddos in the Springtime here in Everett. What are some of your family’s favorites?
Angie is a wanderer at heart who calls Everett home. She is a mom of five ever-growing adolescents who values family and friends above everything else. She prefers rain to sun cause everything looks better wet.
