10 Spring Break Activities

 

1. Plant something. It’s that time of the year to plant flowers, vegetables and herbs. If your looking for something to grow fast beans seem to do the best.

2. Measure the rainfall. See who can guess how much rain we will get. Put out something to measure. Will the back yard or front yard get more rain? Go outside and play in the rain. Splash in the puddles.

3. Play board games or card games. A great way to learn and play together.

4. Go to the public library. Encourage your child to find books on the subjects they like. Ask a librarian for help. Check out the programs they have for all ages.

5. Fly a kite. Find an open space so that your kite doesn’t get caught in a tree.

6. Go for a nature walk. There’s nothing like enjoying the great outdoors. Take a camera along and take pictures of animals and insects. Send an email to your friends and family to show them what you saw. Take a Ziploc bag with you too and gather items along the way.

7. Take a bike ride. Look for a local trail and remember to wear your helmets.

8. Visit a museum. There are plenty to choose from and some have free admission or discounts. Check their websites for more information.

9. Go to the park. Find a new park to visit or visit your favorite park. Have a picnic or fly a kite, catch some bugs or take some friends along.

10. Make a collage. Get out your old magazines and allow the kids to cut out pictures of their  favorite things. Glue them onto a piece of paper.

Family Time

You know how sometimes you just take a moment to look at your life and you're just happy to be alive and have the people you love around you. The moments where you take a minute of your time to watch what is happening around you. You just look over and smile and have that overwhelming feeling of love for your family. This happened to me just the other day.

We were playing with my 3 boys, Ben 12, Isaac 3 and Eli 6 months. I looked over at my husband playing around with my middle child and it just made my heart fill up. I was moved by the time he was spending listening and interacting with them all. It was a moment that I took the time to just look and watch for that one minute.

I feel like most parents don't take the time to play with their children. Our lives are so full of things to keep us so busy and before you know it the day is over and our children are older. 

I was number 5 out of 7 children and there wasn't much play time in my family but I can remember things that meant the most to me and they all centered around the times when my parents took that 5 to 10 minutes just to focus on me. Cooking with my Mom or making crafts was the best time together. Back scratches from my Dad or a game of chase were moments I cherish. Just thinking about them brings tears to my eyes. That's how important it was to me. Now my mom is gone and those times will be forever what I hold on to.

It's challenging to find things that all the family will enjoy together but when it happens it's amazing. It's for this time that I am so extremely thankful. Playing with the kids doesn't have to be something super exciting and expensive, a lot of what we do in my house is free. We don't really go out much since we have a little baby in tow. We play board games, wii games, silly games that we make up, watch movies and do crafts together.

It just takes 5 minutes of your time to sit down and listen. Pick up a game or puzzle to do together. Maybe just hide around the corner while your child is walking down the hall is all it would take to make  a game of chase. Children need that time together. It's good for development and it enriches the relationship with them for a lifetime. Before you know it they will be all grown up and out of the house, off to college, married, or having their own children. 

In the weeks to come I will post things you can do with your children. Don't miss it. The time is flying by.