10 Classic Ways to Enjoy Spring (April 2016 Monthly Goals)

Whether it's the unusual winter we just had, the sporadic temps we're still experiencing, or just a touch of late cabin fever - I am so ready for spring, a real spring, to arrive!

Something about this spring also has me thinking about those classic activities that families and kids get to experience during the warming spring months and I find myself just wanting to slow down and enjoy those experiences as much as we can. I'm sure some of this comes from the fact Big Brother turns 6 this month and officially is in the world of BIG KID. A time is going to come when we're more focused on sports, school, and friends and have even less time for these family focused moments.

So for my April Monthly Goals I've come up with 10 classic ways we can enjoy spring as a family. (Although of course I'm still chipping away at my January goals of organizing household clutter, my February Goals of using the crockpot more, and my March Goals of fitting in more exercise for myself.)

Comb Painting with Kids

Comb painting is one of those cool kid activities that has been around for a while and yet it is still classically loved by many. In our house we discovered it several years ago, although I had seen preschool teachers and art teachers use the technique before trying it ourselves.

One of the best parts about comb painting is the materials are likely ones you already have on hand, and if not they are pretty cheap to buy.

Cardboard Tube Easter Bunnies

The Easter holiday is almost here. This cute craft is pretty easy to put together and doesn't take too long to finish. Best of all, they use something you probably even have laying around: cardboard tubes!

We love finding ways to use up things we already have on hand, and for that same reason we're usually hanging on to things like cardboard tubes. You just never know when you might have a project with them, just like these fun Cardboard Tube Easter Bunnies!

Peas 'n Carrots Sensory Bin

A few weeks ago we used dried peas in our Leprechaun's Letters Sensory Tub, and they proved to be a great sensory tub filler. So while we still had them out, I decided to tweak the bin a little to reflect the next upcoming holiday: Easter.

Last year I picked up these cute little carrot containers at The Dollar Tree (I saw others for sale this year as well) and I've been looking for a great way to use them. What goes better with carrots than peas?

Simple Firefighter Birthday Party Theme

Little Brother is the kind of kiddo who when he makes up his mind he's pretty set on what he wants. In September (yes, September, as in 7 months ago September) he told me he wanted a firefighter birthday party. And he stuck to it all the way to the birthday party last weekend.

For his party we decided just to have a few playdate friends over. It was nice to have a small crowd and to focus on a few simple activities.

I will admit, I was surprised not to find more firefighter party products at our local party sources, but we got a little creative and has fun with some of our ideas!

Easy Shapes Quilt Busy Bag

It's been quite a while since we created some new busy bags or busy boxes. That's why we were excited to join in on the A to Z Busy Bag series currently being hosted by Teach Me Mommy. There have been some incredible ideas in this series, which is great for inspiring some new sets for our own busy bag collection.

Our letter was Q - and we decided to create an Easy Shapes Quilt Busy Bag.

We wanted to keep things simple, and to use materials we already had on hand, so we used felt for our busy bag project.