5 Spring Activities to Respectfully Enjoy Nature with Your Child

Happy spring!

As the weather warms, the outdoors calls to us more, “come visit me.” And we do! This spring, use that outside time to have fun, learn, and create memories with the children in your life by respectfully enjoying nature. Here are five ideas to get you started!

Discover What Plants Awaken First

Walk around your yard, favorite park, or nature trail. Look closely. What plants are emerging? Can you identify any of them? Google Lens or a plant ID app can be helpful. Kids are great at spotting those first shoots of green!

If you think you know, do some research together about the plants you discover. Are they native to your area? What conditions do they need to grow and mature successfully? What do they contribute to the ecosystem?

Please, leave them in place. If you think you’ve found an invasive species, contact your local farm extension or department of agriculture so it can be addressed properly.

Together, you and your child can draw pictures of what you think the shoots you found will turn into. Revisit the same places in a few weeks to see if you were right!

Participate in No-Mow May

By waiting until June to mow your lawn, you help create a healthy yard that’s friendly for pollinators to find food in those early spring months. You may also discover that clover and dandelions are beautiful and useful for you too! 

And don’t worry! Bees only sting if they feel threatened. Simply walking or playing in a no-mow yard won’t cause any harm to your child or the bees.

If you’d like to share a story about why no-mow may is important, check out Dandy Lion’s Mane.

Bee Observant: Observe and Learn About Pollinators and Other Insects

Everyone thinks of honeybees as being a vital pollinator. But did you know that there are more than 3600 species of native bees in North America and not one of them is the honeybee? In fact, honeybees were brought over from Europe and are crowding out our native pollinators.

While you’re out respectfully enjoying nature, see how many bees, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects you can find. Try to take pictures to help you identify them later.

If a few particularly excite your child, delve deeper! What role do they play in the ecosystem? What is their usual habitat? What do they eat? Who eats them?

Your kids can create a book of these photos or drawings they’ve done to create their own insect guide. Both of you can refer back to it and add to it as you have more outdoor adventures.

Plant Native and Host Plants Together

Just as honeybees are not native and are causing problems for native bees, the same holds true for plants. Many plants traditionally cultivated for gardening are not native, some are even considered invasive. (Note, this has nothing to do with whether you like how the plant grows in your yard. It is a designation by the Agriculture Department based on how it interacts with native plants in your specific area and will vary by state and plant species.)

Unfortunately, native insects and other animals don’t do as well with foreign plants. Some, like the monarch and fritillary butterfly, require a specific native host plant in order to survive. Milkweed and violets, respectively.

You can help! Look up what wildflowers are native to your area. You and your children can pick a few you love and plant them together. You’ll quickly be amazed how many insects, birds, and other wild creatures you have coming to visit! Plus, digging in the dirt is fun at any age!

Got a butterfly lover in your life? Check out Callie’s Change.

Learn About Bears

Your child probably knows that bears hibernate all winter. But what about when they awaken in the spring? Spend some time together researching what that’s like and how you can be a good neighbor.

I’ll give you a hint! They’re very hungry!! 

And because they’re so hungry, it’s important to keep them safe, too. Bears who look to humans for food are in danger of being killed by Fish and Wildlife Departments. Therefore, it’s best to follow the maxim “don’t feed the bears.” And that means, not unintentionally providing them food as well!

Bring in your bird feeders. Or if you’re going to leave them out during the day, be sure to clean up any dropped seed or suet as it will attract bears as well. 

If a bear does come to your yard to munch on dandelions or other spring plants, stay inside and watch through a window. Unless they’re causing physical harm to a person, let them do their thing. There is no need to report harmless bear sightings. They’ll move along once they’ve had a snack. 

Which of these spring activities to respectfully enjoy nature with your child will you do this season?

Whatever you choose, remember the maxim, “take only pictures, leave only footprints.”

Also, remember that each of these activities is one more way to help your child find their passion and purpose. Take your time and have fun making memories!

And if you’d like even more ways to help your child find their passion and purpose, click here!