Happy Monday! Here’s another batch of fun stuff to do with the kiddos this week. If you have other ideas, please add them to the comments!
1. Make caterpillar pizzas.
2. Tie long ribbons to sticks and go ribbon dancing in the back yard.
3. Make some seed bombs and find an unloved place to launch them.
4. Transform unloved stuffed animals into hand puppets.
5. Help the kids make up a list of 20 (or more!) things they love about Daddy, Mommy or another loved one and hide them as a lovely surprise.
6. Help the birds get their nests ready by leaving short lengths of yarn, dryer lint (yes, it’s safe) and even hair from hairbrushes on your bushes and trees. Later take walks and see if you can spot nests from your gifts to the birds.
7. Have the kids use crayons or colored pencils to draw a picture on the back of each bill as you mail it in, plus decorate the envelope and write something cheerful. You might make someone else’s day magical as well.
8. Make some rain gutter ball mazes, or better yet set up a water system with these in the back yard!
9. Declare today a cozy day and wear cozy clothes, cook comforting foods, watch shows that cheer you all up, cuddle on the couch and otherwise make it a special, low-key day.
10. This one comes from Victoria. Today, I taught her how to weave grape vines and skinny dogwood limbs into wreaths and crowns. She wants to make lots of tiny ones and hang them on trees along paths at a nearby state park, for hikers to happen across. It sounds like whimsical fun to me!
A Magical Childhood 
What wonderful ideas! I actually did some of these activities with my children (and children I cared for when I ran an in-home day care).
Just lovely,
Mary
Now I need to know how to weave wreaths though. Is it just like braiding them together? It all sounds like wonderful fun. Thanks
Shari, weaving wreaths is super simple! Get some bendable, thin vines or branches and just loop them in a small circle and again overlapping, wrapping the vine around the wreath occasionally and tucking the ends under. Add more until it feels finished. I’ll post some pictures of Victoria’s today. All I did was tell her a 10 second instruction and she took off with it. It will be easier with pics!
The birding sources I have read say dryer lint is not a good idea. When wet, it is soggy and cold and can chill young birds who lack the insulation of feathers.
Risa, I’ll look into that. Maybe things have changed since I looked it up last. Thanks!
I bookmarked the caterpillar pizza — thanks!
Thank you for including my seed bomb how-to… it’s definitely getting towards that time of year now 🙂 This is a lovely list of activities. May I also add a little suggestion about leaving yarn for the birds? Real wool and acrylic yarns are best for this activity as they stays warm even when wet, to keep eggs and nestlings cosy. Pure cotton and cotton mixes are not a good idea as cotton does not retain warmth when wet. I loved reading this as a suggestion because I’ve just been doing this very thing in my garden today 🙂
Thanks Bird! I never knew the type of yarn mattered. I’ll keep it in mind. Happy spring!