Volunteering & Volunteer Students

It may still feel like winter for some of us but spring is actually here. That means Spring holidays like Easter and Passover as well as playing outside, long walks, bike riding, and picnics.

What are some great activities for children to do to celebrate the coming of spring and some of the spring holidays?

(1) In the Kitchen with the Kids: On days that don’t seem all that Spring-like, how about some baking and cooking?

§ Bread animals:

a. Turtle-Shaped Bread: Put down the play dough and grab a hold of the real thing! Use the recipe from Family Fun or try it with store-bought dough to make it easy.

b. Easy animal bread: Love the idea but not all the work? Bake the breads in an animal mold and just turn it out when baked through.

c. Teddy Bear or Rabbit-Shaped Bread: For each bear, form a flattened oval for the body. Add a flattened ball for the head. To connect the parts, use a small amount of water or egg white applied with your fingers. Add two balls to the head for ears to make a bear or use long ovals for the rabbit’s ears and a triangle to form the face. Get the full idea from this site.

§ Bunny Cupcakes: Great for celebrating Easter, Spring, or even Mother’s Day!

a. Little white bunny-face cupcakes: These cute cupcakes will remind you of Peter Cottontail!

b. Bunny Cupcakes with Oreo Ears and an M&M nose: The whole thing will surely taste delicious from top to bottom!

c. Molded mini bunny cupcakes: (Pictured above) It doesn’t get much easier than this—and using easy icing in a tube makes decorating simple for the kids!

(2) Spring Crafts: With so many colors for inspiration, why not do some crafts with the kids?

a. Butterfly mobile: These beautifully vibrant butterflies from Kaboose are a great way to welcome spring! Suspend them from the ceiling with fishing line, or make several and attach to a paper plate mobile.

b. Paper flowers: We all remember making paper flowers when we were little. Check out this site which provides both the “how to” and a sheet on what each type of flower means. Or this site which provides the classic technique from when we were young.

c. Egg Carton Animals: Caterpillars, lady bugs, and spiders, oh my! Decorate egg cartons to make all kinds of animals and creatures from bugs to camels!

d. Wooden Spoon Bouquet: Paint and transform your old wooden spoons into a work of art to display on any sunny—or dreary day!

e. Flowered T-Shirt Pillow: This comfortable and bright idea can be used for Passover as this site recommends or just for fun to celebrate spring!

 

f. Build a birdhouse or bird-feeder: Building a birdhouse with your children can be used to teach about different kinds of birds while having a wonderful time! Here’s a video of a Dad making a birdfeeder with his son—but Moms, Dads, or grandparents can do this with their kids!

(3) Outside Activities: Many children have been stuck inside over the cool months. Time to get outside and take advantage of the fresh air and the wide-open spaces!

a. Outside Spring Games: Everything from tag to Frisbee to chalk and pavement games are right here

b. Garden Activities: These activities help your children learn about the garden while doing something fun and entertaining. Everything from painting flower pots to learning how to plant a sunny flower garden to growing a cucumber in a bottle!

c. Jumprope: Blue bells, cockle shell. easy ivy over! Revive the jumprope rhymes from when you were little and get to jumping!

(4) Character-Based Activities: Through Powerful Words, we are always looking for ways to help others. Spring is a great time to get outside and do some community service with the children. Here are just a few:

a. Take shelter dogs for a walk: Plenty of shelters rely on the kindness of volunteers to help walk and care for the pets. Through this experience as well as other service opportunities, children learn gratitude, empathy, kindness, and citizenship. What a great way to enjoy the weather and do something great for mankind…well, dog-kind! Find out more through your local shelter or read more here.

b. Adopt a grandparent: There are many eager, caring, bright senior men and women out there who would love to celebrate spring with you. Perhaps they love to garden or do crafts! Perhaps they love to take a walk or eat bunny cupcakes! Our older citizens can teach children about longevity, perspective, respect, open-mindedness, patience, and discipline. Share your time and they will certainly share a lifetime of wisdom and humor.

c. Special Olympics: While these events happen year-round, spring is a great time to volunteer. When children help others who have persevered through challenges, they do not only have a terrific experience, they learn what indomitable spirit looks like.

d. Habitat for Humanity: The Youth Programs department of Habitat for Humanity was founded with the mission to capture the imagination, energy and hope of young people worldwide, ages five to 25, in order to productively and responsibly involve them as leaders in the work of Habitat.

e. Here are some other ideas!

 

Happy spring and Happy Holidays!

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