Community Activities, Life, Model Citizens, outside learning, Non-Screen Activities, Teacher Tips, Unplugged Common Ground Community Activities, Life, Model Citizens, outside learning, Non-Screen Activities, Teacher Tips, Unplugged Common Ground

Screenless Activities - Springtime Fun

It is finally Spring! The days are (mostly) warmer, and our evenings are more filled with light!

Our busy lives can still make creative moments with our children challenging. Trust us when we say we understand the impulse to hand over the tv remote or the iPad so you can get the dishes done or one last load of laundry into the dryer (we didn’t say ANYTHING about folding it. That’s over the top).

We had a lot of fun with our Simple Recipes for Kids blog, so we wanted to give you some more screen-less activities to do with your kids. None of us are the perfect #PinterestParent, so we kept them simple and (mostly) pre-planning free! You can use stuff you have around the house and the local environment.

  1. Spring Time Origami - Spring Time can be beautiful… but it can also be rainy. Sometimes getting OUT and ABOUT just isn’t possible! Here are some fun folding crafts that can lead to imaginative play and don’t involve a big crafty mess. (Unless you want to paint them, put glitter on them, attach googly eyes, etc. Be as intensive as you like once the animals are finished)

    1. How to fold your own Frog : The timeline for Spring in Reston is defined by amphibians! In Walker Nature Center’s spring update they talk all about vernal pools and their necessity to the survival of tadpoles. They also talk about when you can hear and see certain amphibian species throughout the season. Fold your own froggies and create your own little habitat right in your living room!

    2. How to fold your own Rabbit (Whole Body) (Head): Rabbits are a spring icon! You could make whole rabbits, you could make rabbit heads and use them as book marks, you could set up a whole spring scene or do a play with the fox puppets below. While you’re at it, check out some amazing National Geographic rabbit facts here!

    3. How to fold your own Tulip: One of the quintessential spring flowers for any garden, the tulip is known for its wide variety of colors and dazzling beauty! You could create your own garden without the requirement of a green thumb. You can find tulip facts here!

    4. How to fold your own Fox (Whole Body) (Head): Reston is FILLED with foxes. Fox kits are born in the spring, usually in March or April, and you'll see them emerge from the den four or five weeks after birth. Read more about foxes HERE.

    5. How to fold your own Butterfly or Water Bomb

  2. Moon and Stars Journal: This is one of my favorite ideas for the spring. You do not need a fancy telescope or binoculars to find Spring Constellations. Look at the pictures of them and see if you can find them in the sky! Find an open field or go on a night walk. You can also track the moon phases together! Once you’re done observing, either make some drawings by flashlight outside, or do them right from the window of your house! (We do it from our back balcony.) They do not have to be perfect, this is all about enjoying the night sky together… but you would be surprised at what your children retain.

  3. Spring Scavenger Hunt: Find these things out in the wilderness! You do not have to collect them, just enjoy them.

    1. A blooming flower

    2. The sound of a frog

    3. A bird’s nest with eggs (don’t touch!!!)

    4. A honeybee

    5. Three different bird calls.

    6. A cherry blossom tree (See if you can incorporate the bridge by Lake Anne. It’s incredible)

    7. A lightning bug (late spring)

    8. Tadpoles (any vernal pool!)

    9. A Fox Den

    10. Add your own

Do you have Spring traditions? Share them with us in the comments! We love finding new and exciting things to do, especially if they can be done spur of the moment.

Love Love Love,

LJ and your CG Family

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