Spring is a beautiful time of the year. The earth is thriving and filled with new growth and creatures to observe! Spring provides the perfect landscape for exploring and observing science in nature. As we explore and learn new things, I provide fun and educational spring activities to reinforce what we have learned. Learning while having fun is always a great combination. Check out the fun and educational spring activities below and download the Free Printable Frog Math Word Problems.
Just as spring is arriving, we discuss the differences in the seasons. What kind of weather do we have in each season? How do we dress in each season? What activities do we do in each season? I use this Seasons Sorting Boxes Game to teach the differences in each season.
One of the first indications of spring are flowers blooming.
We read Plant Parts Smarts to get a good foundation of plants and their parts. After that, we decided to plant some flowers to observe the development of a plant from a seed. These Small Clear Plastic Cups are handy for seeing the roots and water levels. While we waited for the plant to sprout, we did a science experiment to show how water is carried through a plant. I used celery, food dye, and Small Clear Plastic Cups. After a few hours, the celery was already changing colors! The veins in the celery were carrying the colored water up through the celery. At the end of the week, I tested their knowledge of plants with a Plant Life Cycle Sticker Scene. They labeled the plant parts and what the plant needs. Our flowers had begun sprouting too!
Our flower garden is full of blooms now. Now that we have a few beautiful butterflies to observe, why not learn about them and raise some more. I got an Insect Lore Butterfly Pavilion® and caterpillars. Once they arrived, I set up a butterfly station with a poster, Life Cycle of a Butterfly Book, butterfly Life Cycle Magnets, and Butterfly Life Cycle Sticker Scenes. They worked independently at the center while they observed the caterpillars growing and turning into chrysalises. The process was rather fast, only a few days, and they emerged.
We made this cute craft to illustrate the insects pollinating flowers in our garden. I used Light Blue Square Paper Dinner Plates, Crayola® Construction Paper, Bug Magnet Craft Kit, Spring Bright Flower Stickers, and Large Natural Wood Craft Sticks. I cut a slit in the bottom of the light blue square plate to slide the craft stick through. My children decorated the light blue square plates with the materials and these are their finished projects! I love how they turned out. They retold how pollination works while moving their insect.
After some April showers, different creatures began to emerge. It didn't take long for my children to find a few slugs and snails in our flower garden hidden among the leaves and debris. They observed them and discussed the differences and similarities. Learning all about these slimy creatures made us want to replicate the slimy substance they secrete. Time to make some homemade slime! We used Gallon Elmer's® White Glue-All® Glue, borax, food dye and water. I added some realistic Sticky Slugs and the concept was complete. They enjoyed playing with the homemade slime and Sticky Slugs much more than touching real slugs. I'm glad I put the slime on these Cool Craft Trays to keep it from getting everywhere.
While my children were digging around in the flower garden looking for snails and slugs, they also found other slimy creatures. Worms! I decided to review worms in a less slimy way. The classic worm cup! I used NABISCO OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Trolli® Sour Brite Crawlers® Gummy Candy, and Small Clear Plastic Cups. My children were so excited to smash up the cookies and show me how worms dug in the soil. This was a delicious review of these slimy creatures!
We see birds of all colors swooping in and snatching up worms that venture out of the safety of the flower garden. We did a bird lesson, but I wanted my youngest to work on color identification. My older children helped make a paper plate bird for every color. First, they sponged on Crayola® Washable Assorted Colors Paint, added Black Googly Eyes, and an orange Crayola® Construction Paper beak. Then, they glued matching Feathers to the birds and labeled the color using Bright Self-Adhesive Letters. Last, they filled a Neon Tall Storage Basket full of Colorful Bright Plastic Eggs to sort. My youngest sorted the colored eggs onto each colorful bird! This was a fun color sorting activity that we all enjoyed.
My kids want all of the birds in our yard, so we made a pinecone birdseed bird-feeder! You just need Natural Pinecones, birdseed, peanut butter, and Black Round Elastic Cording. My kids slathered the peanut butter onto their Natural Pinecones thick. Tip: use a large bag for the birdseed and roll it down. Dip and roll the pine cone into the birdseed bag to minimize seeds getting all over. Tie the Black Round Elastic Cording to the top of the birdseed bird-feeder and hang it outside for the birds to enjoy!
I set up a seed sorting station for my children to experience how birds eat birdseed. I poured some of the birdseed into the center section of a Flower Sorting Tray. My children used Super Science Tongs to replicate bird beaks, and they sorted the seeds. This was hilarious to watch and fun fine motor practice for them all!
Late at night, we see blinking lights. My kids are fascinated by them. We read about how they use bioluminescence to glow. Although we cannot make bioluminescence, we can imitate it with glow sticks. So we made lightning bugs that glow. We used the adorable Lightning Bug Jar Craft Kit. First, they put together these charming Lightning Bug Jar Crafts. The instructions were easy to follow and my kids made their own without my assistance. They put a Mini Glow Stick Bouncy Ball inside their Lightning Bugs, so they would glow. At night, we went outside with their lightning bugs and flew them all over. They looked like large fireflies glowing in our yard.
This time of the year, frogs are abundant in the ponds. What a perfect time to learn about them! A Frog's Life Cycle, from the Life Science 1st Grade Book Set, has full illustrations and facts about a frog's life. My children enjoyed reading all about frogs. I asked them to show me what they learned on the Life Cycle of A Frog Sticker Scenes.
I carried their love of frogs into math. I utilized some Colorful Mini Frogs and Palm Leaf Serving Tray as visuals. My daughter read the word problem and set up the frogs on the "lily pad" according to the problem. She had so much fun completing the math problems with the frog props! Grab the Free Printable Frog Math Worksheet here.
My youngest loves surprises! He always closes his eyes when I get home from the grocery store because he wants to be surprised – even if it's broccoli! When I saw the Bug & Reptile Toy-Filled Plastic Eggs, I knew he would love them. I filled a sensory bin with Yellow and Green Easter Grass and hid the Bug & Reptile Toy-Filled Plastic Eggs in it. He unwrapped and opened one egg at a time. He jumped with joy at each discovery! Every Bug & Reptile Toy-Filled Plastic Egg has a squishy creature perfect for little hands and dramatic play. After he found all of the eggs, I filled the sensory bin with Kinetic Sand, added a Palm Leaf Serving Tray and some Sea Life Creatures Assortment. He spent hours at play with his new creatures!
We had fun completing these activities together this spring. I hope you enjoy these fun and educational spring activities too!
