Get a Jumpstart on Prepping Your Yard for Fun Springtime Activities

Even though some of us are still experiencing snow and cold temps, now is the time to begin planning and prepping your yard for fun springtime activities with your kids that can carry over into the summer months. Here are some ideas to help you get a jumpstart.

Plant Seeds, Grow a Vegetable Garden

If you think this is the year to plant a vegetable garden, have your children help with the planning. Ask them what they want to plant to watch grow and then harvest. You can use The Farmer’s Almanac Planting Calendar, which offers free gardening planning tips by zip code, and if you sign up for their email list, they will email you planting reminders. 

A neat aspect of growing a vegetable garden is prepping the garden indoors first. Beginning in March, you can sow some of your seeds indoors. Gardener’s Supply Company offers a step-by-step guide on how to start your seeds and what materials you will need to buy. When you move your seeds outside, have everyone pitch in with watering, weeding, and picking. Your kids will completely understand the “fruits of their labor” when they take the first bite of their garden-grown veggie.

Birdhouse Building 101

During the spring months, it is always a treat for children to see birds build a nest in their yard and then watch the bird family grow. If you don’t have the suitable types of trees or shrubbery to attract birds, don’t fret as there are many ways you can give nature a helping hand, including placing a birdhouse in your yard. 

Building a kid-friendly birdhouse is a fun activity for the whole family. Kid-friendly birdhouses can be simple, like this design from LeapFrog that uses a milk carton or this cardboard box birdhouse craft. You can order wood birdhouse kits online for older kids, or if you have the right tools at home, you can build one from scratch.

Spring Cleaning – Inside

Toward the end of the winter months, head to the garage or shed with your children in tow to evaluate your outdoor toys – toss any old or broken ones and make a wish list of new items to purchase. Also, check your outdoor playground equipment to see how everything fared through the winter and assess if anything needs to be fixed or replaced.

Spring Cleaning – Outside

When the warmer temps move in, the spring months are a great time to get outside for some fresh air and exercise after many months of being cooped up inside. Spring cleaning your yard is an excellent exercise for the whole family. Outfit your kids with garden gloves and rakes and get them moving. For younger children, consider investing in a bubble mower or tot-size plastic gardening tools to keep younger children occupied as you work.

Before you know it, the cold winter winds will blow away and the sounds of chirping robins, tulips breaking through the once-frozen ground, and longer sunshine-filled days will be here, and you’ll be ready!