children’s activities

Indoor Activities for Spring

Bouquet of beautiful spring flowers on pastel blue table top view

The first day of Spring is approaching quickly. Monday March 20th marks the first day of Spring for 2023. The days will start getting warmer but there is still a chance for rain showers. If you find yourself stuck inside with your family and have little ones at home, this is the perfect time to work on DIY activities for Spring. I have just the activities for you!

Suncatcher Craft:

Supplies:

  • Paper plates
  • Hole punch
  • Scissors
  • Colored tissue paper (cut into small pieces)
  • Clear contact paper
  • Extra collage items (get creative with glitter, feathers, etc.)
  • String

 Directions:

  1. Cut the center of your paper plate out to create your frame. Then cut out circles from the contact paper. They should be slightly larger than the hole you cut in the plate.
  2. Peel off the backing from the contact paper and stick it to the back of the paper plate.
  3. Add tissue paper pieces, glitter, feathers, sequins and whatever else you’d like to use for your suncatcher. Push the pieces carefully onto the sticky contact paper, so they stick completely.
  4. Once your design is finished, peel the backing off another piece of contact paper and press it onto the open side of your suncatcher. Press firmly all around so that it sticks to the plate and the design.
  5. Punch two holes in the top of your suncatcher and string a piece of string through the holes. Find a sunny window and hang your suncatcher up to admire!

Homemade Playdough:

Supplies:

  • 2 Cups of flour
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • ½ cup salt
  • ½ to 1 cup water
  • Food coloring

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, vegetable oil and salt.
  1. Add a drop or two of food coloring to the water.
  2. Add water slowly as you mix the dough to the desired consistency (Only use what you need).
  3. It is easy to add too much water as the mixture seems too dry until you mix it thoroughly. If you do add too much, simply add more flour to get the right consistency.
  4. The playdough is ready to use, you may use spring-shaped cookie cutters for added fun!
  5. Store the playdough in a sealed container when not in use.

If you find yourself inside on a spring day, try one of these activities to help brighten your day. It will keep the children busy, and they will have fun doing it!

Resources:

Martelle, A. (2022, April 15). How to make tissue paper Suncatchers. The Artful Parent. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://artfulparent.com/how-to-make-tissue-paper-suncatchers/

Mcilroy, T. (2023, January 18). Homemade playdough without cream of tartar: 6 no cook recipes. Empowered Parents. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://empoweredparents.co/homemade-playdough-without-cream-of-tartar/

Author: Megan Taylor, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Youth Development, Union County

Reviewer: Jennifer Little, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Hancock County

Get Out! Celebrate Nature on Earth Day and Every Day

A great way to celebrate Earth Day is spending time outside and connecting with nature. Time in nature offers an easy and inexpensive way to increase your happiness, improve your mood, and feel part of something larger than yourself. Studies have shown that getting outside can:

  • Improve your memory and attention: After just an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention spans improved by 20%. In workplaces designed with nature in mind, employees are more productive and take less sick time.
  • Heal: Patients in hospital rooms with a view of trees had shorter stays and less need for pain medications compared to patients with views of brick.
  • Improve psychological well-being: Joggers who exercised in a natural green setting felt less anxious, angry, or depressed than people who jogged in an urban setting.
Child running outside under flowering trees

We also know from research that children who spend time outdoors are more likely to develop positive environmental attitudes and behaviors as adults. One of the best ways you can take care of our planet is to encourage children and youth to get outside.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, has created an expansive list of activities to encourage children to spend more time outdoors. Here are just a few ideas you can try with your children or grandchildren:

  1. Maintain a birdbath, grow native plants, or build a bat house. For more ideas, read National Audubon Society’s Invitation to a Healthy Yard.
  2. Collect lightning bugs at dusk and release them at dawn.
  3. Keep a terrarium or aquarium and learn about the plants and animals you observe.
  4. Be a cloud spotter; build a backyard weather station. A young person just needs a view of the sky. Check out The Kid’s Book of Weather Forecasting for more ideas.
  5. Encourage a “green hour” every day. Give kids a daily green hour that includes time outside, unstructured play, and interaction with the natural world.
  6. Collect stones. Even the youngest children love gathering rocks, shells, and fossils. Read Rock and Fossil Hunter by Ben Morgan together.
  7. Learn about and raise butterflies. Consider purchasing a monarch rearing kit and growing milkweed so you can hatch and release your own butterflies.
  8. Hang up a bird feeder and watch birds. Have them close their eyes and just listen. For more tips, check out National Audubon Society’s Easy Ways to Get Kids Birding and Bird Sleuth Investigator from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

No matter what you do while you are outdoors, remember that simply going outside is the most important step. Despite all the positive benefits of being outdoors, according to the EPA, Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. On this Earth Day, make a pledge to get out more and bring some young people with you. Nurturing the next generation of our planet’s caretakers is a perfect way to celebrate!

References:

Bratman, G. N., Daily, G. C., Levy, B. J., & Gross, J. J. (2015). The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 41-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.02.005

Louv, R. (2008). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Taylor, A. & Kuo, M. (2006). Is contact with nature important for healthy child development? state of the evidence. Children and their Environments: Learning, Using and Designing Spaces. 124-140.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511521232.009

Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224 (4647), 420–421. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6143402

Wells, N. M. & Lekies, K. S., (2006). Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism. Children, Youth and Environments, 16 (1), 41663.

Written by: Laura M. Stanton, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County, stanton.60.osu.edu.

Reviewed by: Shari Gallup, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Licking County, gallup.1@osu.edu.