Mindful Moment: Signs of Spring

posted in: Mindfulness 4
IMG_6180
Saskatoon Berry bush with its first spring leaves about to open.

Β An activity that you can do with your children (from about age 3 up) is take a walk through nature with a sketch pad in hand, looking for signs of spring. Give each child her/his own sketching pencil and small sketch pad to carry along on the hike.

IMG_6176
A pregnant deer resting in the grass.

I usually wait until the first spring flowers are blooming and then we head out in spring coats to search for any and all natural signs of spring. Your kids will love looking for budding flowers, and any animals out and about. Have your crew stop and sketch each sign they discover.

IMG_6177
A brave ground covering plant–the first to sprout on our mountain.

The sketch books become treasured items over time, especially if you keep the same sketch book and use it each spring. My teenage daughter recently found her ‘signs of spring’ sketch book that she started when she was only five years old.

IMG_6178
A little pine cone eating bird taking a break from lunch. As it munched through the cones it made such a racket, I thought it was a squirrel.

The photos in this post I took last weekend on a hike. I really had to look for signs of spring as very little has blossomed on my mountain. I only brought my macro lens so I wasn’t able to take any close-up pictures of distant objects (such as the deer in the second photo above).

IMG_6181
Ice on moss.

4 Responses

  1. JOHN HART
    | Reply

    Interesting article and pictures. I’m sure the children really enjoyed it. Amazing your daughter found a sketch book she had when she was 5.

  2. Mix Hart
    | Reply

    Thank-you, yes I really love this activity too. I’m waiting another few weeks for the flowers to bloom and then I’m taking Pip and anyone else interested on this years’ sketching hike πŸ™‚

  3. Catherine Meehan
    | Reply

    One of my Dad’s favorite things to do with us when walking in the woods was to identify plants with common and Latin names and then Quiz us on the way out. Good memories:)

    • Mix Hart
      | Reply

      I like your Dad’s parenting style πŸ™‚ Though I’d fail the latin name test.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *