7 Kid-Friendly Outdoor Spring Activities
Bubbles- Kids love bubbles, but one thing that is inevitable is that there will never be enough bubble solution. No matter how many jugs of solution you buy or how many tubes with wands you have, your toddler will bend over to pick something up and spill the entirety of the tube on the ground before blowing a single bubble. So, the best solution is the solution you make yourself! Below are two recipes: one simple (that I have used for a few years and keep in an old rinsed-out milk jug in my garage) and one that claims to make huge bubbles and has more complicated ingredients. I recommend you write the recipe you use on the outside of the milk jug so you don’t have to look it up every time you go to re-make it.
+Simple solution: makes 1 gallon
2c Dish soap
¾c Corn syrup
5c Water
+Giant bubbles solution: makes a little over a half-gallon
(https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/how-to-make-a-giant-bubble-wand-for-amazing-bubbles.html)
Dish soap 2c
4T Corn Starch
4T Baking Powder
6T Glycerin (3 fl oz)
½ gal Distilled water
The best thing about giant bubbles, though, is having something they make giant bubbles with! You can go as simple or as complex as you’d like to with this.
Some suggestions:
-Hula hoop
-Pipe cleaners are bent into different shapes. Use small cookie cutters to help kids bend them into clean shapes if needed, as the picture shows below.
-Yarn with straws strung through to hold onto (into the shape of an O)
-Or build your own giant bubble wand in any variation shown below.
Giant bubble wand building guide:
2- 2” dowels
Drill with ⅜” drill bit
2- ⅜” eye bolts
½” cotton rope or thinner if needed
Washers
Drill holes in one end of each dowel and screw in the eye bolts. Cut a 3’ length of rope and attach it to each end of the dowels. Cut a 5’ length of rope and attach the washers to the middle of the rope to use as a weight; attach the rope to the other dowel, and you’re ready to roll!
You can use anything from a cookie sheet with a lip to a plastic tub for your bubble solution, just anything that will allow you to dip your wands in to get coated. Don’t add too much solution at a time to get sloshed out, kicked over, or get dirt in it when someone comes back with a dirty wand. You’ll be thankful not to put too much in because, in my experience, when bubble time is over, it’s over quickly and with little notice, and the last thing you want to have to do is pour bubble solution back into the container from a cookie sheet.
Nature Confetti- If your kids are anything like mine, they love to make a mess. Springtime is the best for making messes outside AND for making biodegradable messes out of already natural items! Take some hole punches or any kind of fun-shaped punches you might have, find some dried springtime leaves, and let them get to punching until their hearts are content. Use as a table decoration for a backyard BBQ or just for fun to throw around the yard (or at each other!) Yay, spring!
Sidewalk Chalk Fun- If you do not have paved driveways or sidewalks around your house, I’m sorry, but if you do, then go wild! Every spring, I get the giant pack of sidewalk chalk for my kiddos, and they burn the whole pack down to the nubs. I think it is their favorite outdoor activity to do together. Obviously, you have the old standards of hopscotch and drawing, but let them get creative and try to paint! Give them some stiff bristle brushes and water bowls; they can mix colors together and make a masterpiece in each square of the driveway. Another fun thing you can do is draw out an elaborate obstacle course or map across your driveway (hop over this, skip here, crawl to here, crab walk to here, run here, moonwalk here…). Can you say hours of fun for adults and kids alike?
Grow your socks- a fun springtime science experiment for yourself and your kids is to grow your old socks! The idea behind this experiment is to show your kids how seed germination works, so wait until it is warm enough that the grass has turned green and dandelions have started to sprout up before attempting.
What you’ll need:
An old pair of cotton socks
Zip top bags
Water
Tape
1. Have the kids put on the socks and get them wet, either by dipping them in a bucket of water or spraying with a hose (this will help the seeds to stick to the socks).
2. Run around! The idea is to get as many seeds to stick to the socks as possible, so run through dandelion patches, step through untrodden underbrush of bushes and trees in your yard, or go for a hike in the woods (you may want to put the socks over the top of their shoes if your choosing to go for a hike).
3. Once you feel there’s been a good amount of exposure to seeds have them step into some dirt, this will help the seeds to germinate.
4. When they are nice and filthy, take them off and place them each into separate zip-top bags. If they aren’t still wet from the initial soaking, add a bit of water, but just gently sprinkle lightly, you don’t want to wash off any of the seeds or dirt! Seal the bag and tape the bags to a window so that they get plenty of daily sunlight.
5. They should start to sprout within a few days and have blooms within 2 weeks! If they don’t, give it another try.
Try something new and enjoy your springtime with the kids in your life!
Take care! Nikki
The weather is turning warmer, and the sun is starting to shine, so we want to get out of the house and enjoy it. One of the best things about spring is that it’s warm enough for my kids to go outside and make a mess instead of doing it inside of my house! A lot of these activities are general enough to allow them to explore and have fun.
Water- Whether it’s with a water table, a baby pool, or just some measuring cups, plastic bowls, and colanders, kids love playing with water. Pouring it from different vessels, seeing how it moves, and splashing each other is a great way to enjoy the warm season. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can drop a few different colors of liquid food coloring in some of the different tubs so they can also see what mixing colors can do!
Make a bird feeder- One of my favorite things about spring is when the wildlife that seemed dormant and dead during the winter months comes back to life. You hear the birds chirping in the morning sun and the squirrels barking at the neighbor’s dog. Why not make a different kind of bird feeder to celebrate this new life?!
+Apple core bird feeders: Cut apples in half and scoop out the core and seeds. Stuff the hole with a mixture of peanut butter and seeds. Hang the stem from branches using twine. You can use apples with bad spots or that are getting soft, as the birds aren’t picky.
Plant a tree-Springtime is the best time to plant a tree because it gives the tree plenty of time to establish its root system before winter. Earth Day is April 22nd, and Arbor Day is April 26th, It’s no coincidence that both land in spring!
