Tag Archives: spring activity

11 Earth Day Ideas To Do With Your Child

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Happy Earth Day friends!

Although we believe Earth Day should be every day, here’s a few ways you can show your love for our earth with your child. There’s a mix of no cost, no prep ideas with more prep and some cost ideas. But they’re all ways to show some love to Mother Earth.

  • Plant a tree. 
  • Make a bird feeder. Birds are important pollinators, and they can also help to control pests. Making bird feeders can be really easy too! We’ve DIY’d a few bird feeders the last few years. Every time it’s so fun to make with Mila. Check them out here: Rainbow Heart Bird Feeder, Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder, Birdhouse Motel.
  • Go on a nature walk. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, my little absolutely loves getting outside and exploring. Going on a nature walk and having her find different things while walking is always a hit! You can have littles do a Nature Scavenger Hunt or look for something specific depending on their interests. Either way, getting outside is always a great idea.
  • Help to clean up a local park or beach. This is a great way to teach kids about the importance of keeping our environment clean. I swear Mila constantly asks if we can pick up the trash on the side of the road every time we’re in the car. Maybe one day, but we just focus on our walking paths for now.
  • Learn about recycling. There are so many fun ways to teach kids about recycling. This water activity let Mila see the impact of what our trash does to our oceans.
  • Make a bug hotel. Get a cardboard box, paint it, fill it with leaves/twigs/flowers/rocks, and set outside. Bugs will love the space and you can learn about them while they’re exploring their new hotel.
  • Make a compost bin. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of food waste that goes to landfills. We have not started one at our house yet, but it is a huge goal of mine to finally do it. One day soon and I’ll make sure I share with you guys too.
  • Start a garden. Growing your own food is a great way to teach kids about where their food comes from and how to eat healthy. We absolutely love making a garden every year. Some years we start off with seeds and others we get starts. Either way, it’s a great way to celebrate Earth Day!
  • Make seed bombs.
  • Paint a pot. We have a lot of plants in our house, but seemingly never enough pots. A fun way to either get a plant for your home or replant a new one is for your little to paint a pot. When Mila does this, she knows she’s in charge of watering and checking in on that plant. It helps teach her responsibility and broaden her love for our Earth.
  • Don’t use paper or plastic plates. This is a huge one! We normally don’t use paper plates or any cutlery that you can throw away. It helps reduce waste and we get to buy really cute plates too.

I’d like to end this post by saying, it’s okay if you don’t do any of these things. Being a parent/guardian is hard work and you’re doing your absolute best!

Here are some other Earth Day projects if you’re feeling inspired:

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Hoppy Spring Artwork with Peeps!

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It’s the first day of spring! To celebrate, we created a piece to showcase all season long. The best part is that kids of any ages can join in on this fun.

For the last year, I’ve been decorating Mila’s room to match the current season or holiday. Instead of buying new things all the time, we’ve been making decor! It makes it so much more personalized and Mila is always super proud of her work.

This Hoppy Easter project was a ton of fun to make. We decided to recreate our family as bunnies on a small canvas, but the opportunities of this project are endless. Last year we made a project with the same concept, but with a year difference they look completely different.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Although we used canvas, you could definitely use paper or cardboard too. We use cardboard for so many crafts and activities. It’s a great way to reuse from leftover boxes.

To set up, lay something down you wouldn’t mind getting paint on. Then lay your canvas on top of that. Again, we use cardboard to catch all the left over paint. If you keep reusing the same cardboard, it looks so cool at the end of a season or year.

The most perfect size paint tray for these Peeps Bunnies are the tops of butter containers. They bunnies fit just right. Pick a color with your little for the bunnies. We decided to do just two colors: purple and blue. The purple represent the girls in our family and the blue the boys. You could also do the person’s favorite color per bunny or whatever colors are in your spring decor.

Next, have them use the Peeps Bunnies as a stamp. These aren’t too hard for little to grasp and use. I would definitely keep a wipe nearby in case they do get paint on their hand.

Although we didn’t add details to our bunnies, you could add faces which would make them even more cute. We did add grass though at the bottom and ‘Hoppy Spring’ at the top. Here are a few other sayings your sign could have too:

  • Every bunny is welcome here.
  • Hoppy Easter
  • Hanging with my Peeps
  • Some bunny loves you.
  • Don’t worry, be hoppy!

I love how are Hoppy Spring sign turned out and can’t wait to share all our crafts and activities we have planned all season long.

If you end up making this sign, please tag me on socials (Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok) or comment a picture in the comments. I love seeing everyone’s interpretations. It makes me so happy seeing that we could help inspire you!

Most of all, make sure to treasure all those memories you get to make with your family. That’s the best thing we can do.

Here’s some other fun Easter activities to try with your kiddo this year:

DIY Flower Book

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With spring flowers here, we’re ready to learn about as many of them as we can! To do that, we created a DIY Flower Book.

Although we only started off with one flower, I’ll make sure to update our other flower pages.

Since Mila picks flowers all the time, we had to press and keep them for a while. I thought it’d be cool to see everything in a book for us to review and go over at the end of summer.

All we had to do is start with a base. Here’s the supplies we used:

  • Cardboard
  • Scrapbook
  • Modge Podge
  • Pipe cleaner
  • Paper
  • Stickers
  • Flowers

For the actual book, I ended up using cardboard from a brownie box. It was easy to cut and I liked how it was thin cardboard too. Then, I used modge podge to paste scrapbook paper on to the cardboard pieces.

After it was dried, I used stickers to write “Mila’s Flower Book.” Then I hole punched the top corner to connect the book with a pipe cleaner.

For the inside flower pages, I just used computer paper. You could definitely do thick card stock paper or other scrapbook paper too. I’ll probably use others with some of the other flowers.

I figured we’d start with tulips since the ones we picked are starting to die.

All we did was dry the flowers, have her draw them, me draw them, and we went over the letters in tulip. It was a fun learning experience for her!

We can’t wait to get started on the other flowers. I think dandelions will be next and some of my Mother’s Day flowers too.

What’s your favorite flower that we should study? Let me know in the comments.

Flower Potion/Soup | Kid Activity

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Looking for a fun sensory activity your child can do outside? Try this Flower Potion/Soup.

Not only does it get your kid independently playing outside, it’s a fun sensory experience for them too.

Flowers are Mila and my favorite part of spring! All the pretty flowers make me smile and she loves to pick them. We try to incorporate them in a lot of play activities.

Another element Mila is obsessed with is water! I learned early on in parenting that water calmed Mila down. No matter if it was a lot or just a little.

This kid activity is a perfect mix of the two!

Everything you need is either in your backyard or your kitchen:

  • Flowers
  • Jars
  • Water
  • Big Bowl
  • Sticks
  • Water Dispenser

This activity is really child led. I did ask Mila to collect different flowers that were in our yard. Then I set up the potion/soup station.

I let her know that was her mixing bowl and she could add whatever in there.

She really took over after that!

Mila pretended she was a witch making potions the entire time. She let us know what the potions would do and who they were for. As always, I love hearing from her creative mind.

What’s your favorite spring kid’s activity? Let me know in the comments.

DIY Fingerprint Flower Jar

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Mother’s Day is almost here and we’re busy making DIY’s for all the special moms in our lives. If you’re looking for an easy one, this DIY Fingerprint Flower Jar is just right for you.

We love making presents for our loved ones. It makes gift giving more personal and shows how hard we worked on it too. Mila is always so proud when she sees something she made up in someone’s house. She’ll get a huge smile.

Since she loves to pick flowers and put them in vases, I thought this would be a perfect gift for the loved ones in our family!

There’s not a bunch of supplies you need for this DIY gift. We had everything already at home and were able to reuse an old olive jar!

  • Jar
  • Paint
  • Modge podge

All you need to do is get an area prepped for paint. Then I showed Mila what I meant by finger painting flowers on a jar. I just did it on the brown paper that I prepped the area in. This way she could see she was allowed to use her fingers as a paint brush.

Then I let her go!

She did a few alone, but then she felt better when I held it up and twisted it for her. I don’t think she wanted to smudge the flowers she already had done!

Once they’re finished making flowers, coat the jar in modge podge. I just did a thin layer so the flowers don’t go off in the future. This step isn’t required, but if you want that added protection, I’d suggest it!

To finish it up, you could add letter beads like I did or a yarn bow too.

We filled ours up with flowers, but you could add your loved ones favorite candy or even a tea light candle too. Either way, this jar is something special and easy a mom in your life will really love!

If you’re looking for more Mother’s Day DIY’s, check out these ones Mila and I have done. Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments.

DIY Floral Handprint Art

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If you’re looking for a memorable and easy craft for Mother’s Day, you’ll love this DIY Floral Handprint Art.

Not only was it simple to make, my four year old helped me through it all.

If you haven’t noticed by my last few posts on social media, we’re in a hand art phase. I think it’s a mix of wanting to preserve how little she is and they’re easy to do!

I’ve had this floating frame in my house for about a year. In my head I pictured it with pressed flowers all around. Then, the past few days I thought it’d be a perfect Mother’s Day gift to myself.

So, with Mila’s help and flowers from Josh, we created something beautiful.

For this DIY Floral Handprint Art, you’ll need:

*You can find this frame here.*

First, clean off your frame. I like to do this so I don’t noticed smudges after everything is finished. Plus, it’s nice to work with a clear area.

Then, paint your child’s hand. Mila picked pink, of course and I thought it looked beautiful. When it’s painted, firmly press your child’s hand on the inside pane of glass. If there’s a few missing space, you can repaint their hand and redo the process!

Next, let your child put the pressed flowers where they’d like.

When they have their final spot, clasp the second glass pane to keep the handprint and flowers safe.

On the outside, I decided to paint the word love and the year on the corner. “Love” was purely decorative, but the date is something I do on all of our projects!

Then you’re all finished.

I truly think this DIY Floral Handprint Art would be a lovely piece for moms, grandmas, and every other mother figure in your child’s life.

What’s your tips on pressing or drying flowers? I’d love to hear different ways… especially with Mila’s love of flower picking.

DIY GIANT Daisy Wall Hanging

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If you’re looking to make a big statement with your spring decor this year, you’re not going to want to miss this DIY GIANT Daisy Wall Hanging. With material you can find in your home, you’ll have a piece of decor that demands to be seen.

My favorite part about spring is all the flowers. Since the pandemic started, Mila and I really got into growing plants. They’re spread throughout our entire house. Honestly, they just bring so much life into our home. Plus, they’re perfect for her to learn about the science behind them and responsibility. It’s a win-win.

So, when Mila ditched her space themed birthday and wanted to do flowers and plants, I wasn’t so surprised. I just knew we had to make something special.

You can easily make this DIY with items you can find around the house. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Cardboard
  • Scissors
  • Cotton Balls
  • Yellow Yarn
  • Hot Glue (a lot of it)

When I say you need a lot of hot glue, I mean that I probably used 15 sticks. This daisy is big and needs a lot of glue to make it stick!

But first… you need to cut out a circle for the middle and then the petals around it. I used six petals, but you can do what you think looks good for your DIY daisy.

I used a plate to trace the circle and one of the feathers from my headboard. You could free hand a petal or find something that’s a similar size and shape around your house. Then just cut everything out.

Next, hot glue yellow yarn on the circle. I just did a spiral pattern.

After that, got glue the petals to the back of the circle. I put about them about an inch in. This made the petals secure.

Once the hot glue is dry on the structure, it’s time for the cotton balls. This takes a while, but once you find a rhythm it starts to click. I tried to do patterns with them too. You’ll use a lot of hot glue here!

To secure the back, I made another petal and hot glued it on. Then I hot glued a string to be able to hang the flower.

Even though this DIY GIANT Daisy Wall Hanging took a little while to make, I love how it turned out. It’ll be perfect for a picture backdrop for her party! After I’ll have it in my home too.

What’s your favorite flower? As you can imagine mine are daisies!

DIY Spring Bucket List

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If you’re wanting to help plan on getting the most out of spring this year, this DIY Spring Bucket List can help! Not only will it motivate you to get everything you want done, it’ll look great in your home.

Mila and I love bucket lists. We make them every Christmas break and try to do one for the other seasons too! Here’s our one from last spring.

We usually just make ours out of craft paper, but when I saw the tags from The Letter Vee, I wanted to do something a little different. I used an existing floral mobile I had and gave it another use!

To make our bucket list come to life, we used:

First things first… it’s time for a family meeting. Have a talk with your family about what you would all like to do this spring. This will look different for every family.

Once you figure this out, it’s time to print.

The Letter Vee has some bucket list items already on their site, but also gives blank cards too! This way you can easily write down what you’d like. For our ‘other’ items, I just used a normal pen and you could easily see my writing.

Next cut them out and use a hole puncher for each tag.

I actually taped the tags on spring scrapbook paper to give it an extra pop and used a daisy hole punch. The extra details made it so cute.

We also decided to use pink, grey, purple, and light blue yarn to connect our tags.

All you have to do is a light tie on a piece of the yarn or ribbon on your wall hanging. I just shuffled them around so we could easily see them.

You can add as many bucket list items you’d like.

Our plan is to take pictures with each bucket list item. When we do it, we’ll pull it off and make a little scrapbook of our spring.

It’ll be a fun way to record what we do and reflect on it at the end of the year.

Either way, we’re super ready for springtime and to start pulling items off of our bucket list. We can wait to keep you all updated.

In the comments, let me know what’s on your spring bucket list.

DIY Flower Pom Poms

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Springtime is here and we’re bringing the best parts inside. To decorate and embrace spring, we made DIY Flower Pom Poms.

These boho flowers are easy to make and really make a statement to any wall.

Mila and I are obsessed with plant and flowers. They bring us so much joy and are beautiful to look at too. I think they’re one of our favorite parts about springtime.

Even though we have plants and see flowers constantly, you can never have too many! That’s why I love this DIY Flower Garland.

Here’s the only two things you need for it.

  • Yarn
  • Scissors
  • Large needle
  • Pom pom maker (optional)

The first thing I did was pick out what color yarn I wanted for this project. I am in love with this orange, yellow, and pink color scheme lately. It gives me 70’s floral pattern vibes.

Then you need to make your pom poms. I personally don’t use a pom pom maker, just my hand.

All you need to do is cut and hold a string in your hands horizontally, then start wrapping string vertically around your four fingers. Wrap it around 150 times to get a full pom pom.

Next, you have to tie the first string you had horizontally. Once it’s tied, cut the loops for the rest of the strings to flare out.

After you have your little yarn ball, it’s time to shape and make it look fluffy. You’re going to trim A LOT of yarn here. Just keep cutting it down until it’s the size and puffiness you’d like. Once that’s done, your first pom pom is complete.

For each flower you do, you need to make six pom poms. I usually do a white center with colors on the outside.

To connect them, you can either use hot glue or stitch them together.

I made a garland of hearts, but you could easily make a single wall hanging, faux flowers, or a rear view window decoration. You can also change the size of your poms using a pom pom maker or different technique.

Personally, I love how this turned out and totally want to make one for my room too.

Prepare yourself for all the spring and Easter content. We are so excited for this tike of year and are so ready to create!

What craft or activity are you ready to tackle this spring? Let me know in the comments.

DIY Color Changing Shamrock Sign

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The magic of St. Patrick’s Day keeps flowing, especially with this DIY Coloring Changing Shamrock Sign.

Littles will be amazed watching blue and yellow make green! You can also use this sign to help trap those pesky leprechauns. They’ll be attracted to the magic.

Mila has been super curious in two different things: leprechauns and how to make colors.

To be able to give her both in one day, we did a magical craft that we’ll use to bait leprechauns. It’s really been fun to hear all her ideas of how to catch a leprechaun. She had fun making magic like them!

Plus, we love an activity with a simple set up! This one gives you just that with some leprechaun magic too! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Blue Paint
  • Yellow Paint
  • Black Paint
  • Gold Paint
  • Canvas
  • Plastic Wrap

All you need to do is pour some blue and yellow paint on a blank canvas. I actually had the canvas in a sensory bin to keep the mess at bay.

Then, I had Mila place plastic wrap on top and told her to mix all the colors.

For that part, I really had to tell her it was okay to get messy. She was really moving the plastic wrap around which mixed it up quicker. At first I think she was afraid of the messy paint!

Once it’s combined, take the plastic wrap off and let it dry.

To add a little more magic, I painted on a shamrock, ‘lucky,’ and splattered gold paint. I think it turned out as magical as a leprechaun would like.

What’s your favorite St. Patrick’s Day saying to put on signs?