Spring is just around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited! The sun is shining, the back doors are wide open, and the birds are singing. I love studying nature with my children year-round. There is so much to experience and learn in every season, but springtime is extra magical because you're just coming off the grey months of winter.
I want to share some of our favorite books and activities for our homeschool in the spring as a launching point for you to be intentional with making room for fun, connection, and beauty this season.
Fill your baskets with stories of spring
Grab a big basket (or two) from the thrift store and fill them to the brim with the sweetest spring stories. In the spring I love grabbing a quilt and our book basket and heading outside under a shady tree to read. It makes it even more fun if you bring fresh lemonade for the kids to sip while they listen. To fill our baskets, I refer to the book list each week in Treehouse Nature Study: Spring and gather books related to the spring nature theme we are studying. Each week focuses on one nature theme such as insects, rainbows, and snakes and includes a book list of fiction, non-fiction, and reference selections about the theme. Along with those books, I have discovered many wonderful books that I have purchased and pull out in the spring. I have gathered 20 of my favorite picture books for the spring months for you.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Sweet Spring Picture Book List!
Go pond dipping and raise tadpoles
Go on a hunt for tadpoles in a slow-moving or stagnant body of water like a pond or creek. Use a dipping net to collect them and keep them in a large plastic tub in the water you found them in. Keep them in a shady spot outside, away from direct sunlight. Change the water out periodically with more of the pond water or rainwater. Observe them each day and journal about what you see as the tadpoles develop into frogs! Use Pond Life Week to do on a deeper study of what can be found in a pond and the difference between toads and frogs.
Do a seed study
We love learning about seed germination and planting a bean seed in a glass jar to watch the process. Go on a nature walk and hunt for various types of seeds to dissect and identify. Use Seeds & Sprouts Week for instructions on how to do the Bean Experiment, a chart to track observations, and a loaded book list to dive deeper into the world of seeds.
Go berry picking or visit a farmer's market
If you live somewhere where you can visit a blueberry or strawberry farm and pick your own berries, this is so fun and a great learning experience. Learn about the growing process before or after you go using. Come home and make jam, pie, or wash and freeze them for later!
Learn about life cycles and raise butterflies
There are many life cycles to learn about in the Spring, but our favorites are frogs, butterflies, and birds. Read some books on the subject and journal about what you have learned. If you want to see the change up close, consider ordering a butterfly kit and raising some butterflies! You can find life cycle display sheets in many of the weeks of Treehouse Nature Study.
To explore the world of moths and butterflies even deeper, try a free week of Treehouse Nature Study: Spring.
Identify and dissect flowers
Grab a bouquet of wildflowers and use a flower ID book or online source to identify them. Then, have some fun using tweezers to dissect them and learn the flower parts. You could even use the petals for a craft like a flower crown or a flower suncatcher. You can find a Common Spring Flowers ID sheet and a Flower Dissection Guide in Spring Flowers Week of Treehouse Nature Study: Spring, as well as instructions to make wildflower seed bombs!
Make a backyard bird feeder
There are tons of ways to make a backyard birdfeeder, but we like to use peanut butter on pinecones and then pack the birdseed around it. We hang it from some twine and watch the birds enjoy. Try watching the bird feeder each day for a week and making a tally chart of which types of birds you see on each day of a week. I love the book Birds, Nests, and Eggs to learn about all types of birds! Birds Week is packed with great books and projects to study those feathered friends all season long.
Make a wormery
Grab some worms from a bait shop or dig some up and create a big wormery. Observe them each day and journal what they did. You can also find instructions in Snails and Worms Week, along with books, projects, and display sheets to learn more.
Start a garden
Spend some time planning a little backyard garden if you don't already have one. Involve the kids in the entire process, from the planning to the harvesting (and eating!). Enjoy the fruits of your labor all spring long. Edible Gardening Week has instructions for beginning a simple container garden.
What are your favorite ways to celebrate and study spring with your kids? I would love to hear in the comments!
Ready to join us this Spring? Grab your Treehouse Nature Study: Spring guide and head to our online Facebook community to walk through this Nature Study together!
