Celebrate Spring! {Books and Activities}

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Celebrate Spring!Spring has sprung! 

Spring is one of my favorite times of year because there are so many fun things to do with the kids.

Seeds collageHere are a few of my favorite spring books and activities:

A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman is a fun book about a boy who plays hide and seek with his imaginary friend, a rainbow, and ends of finding a real one of his own. 51FbJXe7acL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_

Who doesn’t love rainbows? I think they’re magical and spring is the time when we hope for rain and sun so that we may catch a glimpse of one in the sky. If we are not lucky enough to see one, we can try to make an indoor rainbow. Using a glass or jar half full with water, let the sun shine through the water to illuminate a rainbow on the floor or a piece of paper. If it’s not sunny, see if you have a flashlight laying around because that works as well.

For an extension activity that combines learning the colors of the rainbow and art, create a rainbow book. Depending on the age, write or have them write “I see ___________.” for each color of the rainbow. Let them make a collage of each color using drawings of things that are that color, stickers, or photos from magazines of items that color. For the last page, write: “I see a rainbow.” and let them illustrate a picture of a rainbow.

Spring is also a time for planting and watching things grow. Seed exploration is a perfect way to combine art and science! These are some of my favorite seed books and activities.

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert teaches children about planting different kinds of seeds and watching them grow into a rainbow of colorful flowers.  images

Plant some flower seeds with your children and watch them grow. I like to plant flower seeds in a small pot or planter as opposed to outside in the ground. That way, we can keep an eye it and make it the kids responsibility to water it. Teach your children to water them every day and to keep them in the sun. Paint or decorate the pot before planting flower seeds and these could make a lovely Mother’s Day gift that any Grandmother would adore.

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss is an old classic that tells about a boy who plants a carrot seed and despite what other people tell him, he continues to tend to it waiting patiently for it to grow.  images2

Carrots are fun to explore because they are a root vegetable. Plant some carrot seeds with your children and talk about how roots grown down into the dirt and bring water up to the rest of the plant. To watch carrots grow below the dirt, you make your own root view garden.

Not only can you watch carrots grow from seeds, you can watch them grow from carrot tops! Create a carrot top terrarium from cut carrot tops. You can usually get whole carrots with tops at Kroger. Place them in a shallow dish with some decorative pebbles and stones. All you need to do is keep them watered!

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle follows a seed through its life cycle with classic Eric Carle illustrations. 61rsq0R+9fL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

Because there are so many different kinds of seeds, it’s fun for kids to explore a bunch of them. Vegetable seeds are the best to use because they’re bigger than flower seeds. You can grab a bunch of packets from the dollar store for cheap. Use a tray or cookie sheet to contain the seeds. Give your kids cups or even a muffin pan so they can sort them by size, color, or shape. It’s also fun for kids to guess which seed grows into which vegetable.

To go along with a seed’s life cycle, watch seeds as they sprout. Choose a variety of 4-5 different seeds to watch grow. This way, kids can watch how different seeds sprout and when. You can even have them hypothesize which seeds will germinate first. Put the seeds in a clear baggie with wet cotton balls. Place them on a window and watch as they sprout. For older kids, they can keep a plant journal where they draw a picture and measure how much the seeds have grown every 1-2 days. After they’ve sprouted, you can plant them outside!

An easy and creative art activity would be to make a mosaic with the seeds. Kids may either draw their own design with clue or use a template. Here are a few Flower Flower2 templates for you to try!

Do you have other Spring favorites? Share in the comments!

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Lilly Younger
I relocated to Cincinnati in 2010 from Chicago to be with the love of my life. For a good long while I had trouble calling Cincinnati home, but 5 years, a husband, and 2 kids later, I am happy to be a Cincinnatian! I am a proud, tired, loving, tired, creative, tired, and doting stay at home mom to 2 spunky girls, 15 months apart. Prior to having kids, I was an early childhood teacher. It's tough being a teacher mom because I have found there is a difference between teaching and parenting, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love finding and creating exciting, engaging, and fun activities to do with my girls and hope I can share some of what we do with other families.

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