Seasonal transitions can be an exciting time for children.Yesterday the kids and I were outside tending to the yard. Well, I was tending the yard while the kids were running through the leaf piles and enjoying exhilarating wheelbarrow rides. My youngest stopped dead in her tracks, and exclaimed with great interest, “flowers!” Snowdrops, one of our springtime symbols here in Northern latitudes, was peaking through the soil. A little sign of the approaching vernal equinox and upcoming spring season.

Kids naturally tune in to the seasonal transitions.The weather changes, getting outside becomes easier, new plants emerge, and animals start to show themselves again. It’s so fun to tune in and to celebrate the seasonal transitions alongside our little ones. 

Go on a nature walk

The best way to enjoy a new season is to experience it. I love to take the kids on nature walks and let them discover spring’s signs. This can happen anywhere: on a nature trail, in the backyard, around the block. New earthly scents, fresh flowers, buds on the trees, and birds returning from their winter migration are all exciting changes.

A great way to elevate a nature walk is to read a book beforehand! Generally, during breakfast we read seasonal books and then head outside. Seasonal stories are a great option because they get us thinking about plants, animals, and weather we might experience on our outdoor adventures. It’s a simple way to foster a deep connection with the natural world.

Here’s why: our realities are constructed when our experiences build on what we already know. Stories are a terrific medium to activate familiar ideas, prior knowledge, and memories, and to also introduce fresh ideas. When my kids make these connections, the awe and wonder in that discovery is such a pleasure to witness.

Let me give an example of this. Recently we came across a frozen sap drip while on a walk. We’ve read many books on the sugaring process this week, and so my oldest was able to happily share what we’d found which prompted a great discussion about how sap can thaw and freeze. The learning was organic and meaningful.

Read a book about the transition to spring. 

Clearly books are a staple in our home. Around the Corner from the Frog and Toad Series. It’s a delightful tale in which Frog relays a story to Toad about his quest to find spring after being told spring was “right around the corner”. After coming across many signs of spring, he eventually decides he’s found spring around the corner of his house. This encourages Frog and Toad to head out together in search of spring. It’s a happy little story that highlights many of the seasonal transitions kids might see on their walk. 

Another great book part in a series we adore is Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring, by Kenard Pak. Sometimes winter is slow to move on and lingering snow or a chill in the air. Pak’s seasonal books are a wonderful tribute to close out one season and to welcome the next.

Knowledge is constructed in schema or a thought network in our brain. Activating prior knowledge simply means eliciting what they already know so that upcoming experiences can be assimilated. Learning happens easily when it’s composed of familiar elements. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/720680 

Grow something

Spring represents the start of the growing season, and there can be such joy and learning in growing plants. Kids can learn about the life cycles of plants as they grow from seed, to first leaves, and finally a mature plant that bears fruit or vegetables. This can be as simple as growing a small container of microgreens on the window sill. Enjoying the “fruits” of your labor is the ultimate way to wrap up any project.

Celebrating the vernal equinox doesn’t need to look like baskets full of stuff, gifts, or curated activities. The Vernal equinox and the coming of spring is about celebrating our transition to warmer, brighter days ahead. It’s about new beginnings and renewal. Immersing yourself in nature during the thaw of yet another winter passed illuminates the many beautiful small changes that carry us into the summer season. You just might find yourself feeling renewed as well.