Spring has finally sprung and while we are still having to endure the monotonous lockdown we can still look to the great outdoors and enjoy nature in all its glory as our local parks, woodlands and garden slowly emerge from their winter slumber.

St Patricks Day falls on Wednesday 17th this year and what better way to celebrate it than by going green for the day. How you choose to “go green” is totally up to you! Maybe that means wearing all green clothing head-to-toe! Perhaps you choose to eat and drink only green foods all day or for an entire meal. Maybe you simply choose to be extra eco-friendly (“green”) for the day and pick up litter or make crafts from recycled materials. There are so many fun ways to celebrate being green!

We have lots of printables here on our blog that feature using materials found round the house to create some wonderful crafts.

Spring means starting to dream about the summer garden... and a really lovely way to introduce seed planting with little ones is to start with cress or grass seeds in eggshells. All you need to do is save those eggshells from your breakfast (try to break just the tip of the shell off and pour out the egg). Fill the shell with potting soil and one seed. Push the seed down into the soil, but not too deep. Water the seeds and keep the soil moist (but not soaked). Put them in the egg carton (as a holder) in a sunny window and watch them sprout! When ready to plant, simply drop the entire egg into the soil. It will provide great nutrients and calcium for your plants.

We love feeding the birds in our garden and this is an easy thing to set up with the children. In winter birds need high energy, high fat foods for survival in the cold months and all these are easily available online.

Alternatively you could get creative in the kitchen and make your own culinary delights for the birds. There are lots of recipes and instructions online such as this one on the Eden website

You can read more about feeding the garden birds on the RSPB site

This last week we have seen bright sunshine, sharp cold winds, and we even had a hailstorm! Watching the weather is most interesting this time of the year as it seems to change on the hour! Get your kids excited about rain by making a rain gauge to monitor how much rain you’re getting. All you need is a mason jar (or other glass container) that you can write/paint on. Have your kids use a ruler and make marks on the glass for each inch of water. Place the rain gauge outside on a level surface away from overhead trees or awnings. After each rain, go out and check the gauge to see how much rain you got! Check out our weather watch if you are the kind of family that prefers to be indoors when its raining!

Here are some lovely spring themed toys if you are looking to create a spring themed play table......

Pond dipping   Garden Wheelbarrow set    Flower bed