Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Spring it on!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not the end of the school holidays when you can send the kids back to school, but Spring time! There’s loads of amazing things about Spring, but here are just a few of our favourites...
1 IT’S WARMER OK, so it snowed in April a couple of years ago, and there are April showers to deal with but when Spring arrives, it’s finally time to start putting away the Winter clothing. It’s also socially acceptable to start wearing sunglasses again. If it rains, you can always play in the puddles or head to a museum or library for the day. It’ll be a blip – hopefully!
2 …BUT IT’S NOT TOO WARM Summer’s wonderful obviously – who doesn’t like blazing hot sunshine and wasps? – but sometimes the Summer heat can be unbearable. Springtime gets the temperature just about right.
3 IT’S LIGHTER Officially Spring starts on March 20th and that’s when the days start getting brighter in the mornings and the evenings start to stretch on forever. More sunlight means that you naturally produce more serotonin, which makes you feel happier and energised. You might find you sleep better too, as the melatonin in your body starts to decrease.
4 GREEN Remember green? Autumn might have trees on fire as they start to lose their leaves, but there’s something comforting when they get their leaves back again!
5 FLOWERS It’s not just the return of a single colour of course, with Spring, the world’s colour palette starts to go wild. Flowers and blossoms are everywhere as plantlife wakes from its winter slumber. There’s nothing quite as breath-taking as walking through Bluebell woods or finding freshly bloomed wildflowers.
6 BABY ANIMALS Spring is officially the cutest time of the year, with the chance to see newborn lambs, bunnies and fluffy chicks. If there’s a farm or petting zoo near you, they might be having a lambing weekend, which is a really exciting experience. If you’ve got a pond you might see tadpoles too. OK they’re not fluffy, but they have a certain charm! It’s not just the snow and ice that melts in spring – it’s hearts too!
7 GETTING OUTSIDE Now it’s warmer, there’s no excuse not to get outside. Whilst you’re out maybe try and spot a few animals and birds. When Primary Times chatted with Springwatch’s Michaela Strachan about her upcoming tour with Walking With Dinosaurs, she also had time to suggest how to make the most of the wildlife.
“I think the best thing you can do for kids is to buy them some binoculars – because then they can go and really see what wildlife looks like. I don’t know about you, but I find it very frustrating when I see a bird in the distance and I’ve no idea what it is, but then get your binoculars out and you can see it much closer.
Another good way to get kids into wildlife is to feed your birds in the garden – which a lot of people in this country do – because then you see birds close up and you get used to birds. The most important thing for kids, is to connect with the outdoors, and whether that’s going to look for wildlife or playing outdoors or walking in the woods.”
8 FRESH AIR The Spring Clean is, for some reason, not quite so much of a chore as a clean at any other time of the year. Being able to fling open the windows and fill the house with a fresh breeze is one of life’s small but rewarding pleasures.
9 FESTIVAL SEASON STARTS When Spring starts, that’s when the festival season kicks into gear. So if it’s books, food, theatre, or music – there’s a festival for you and your family.
10 EASTER Apart from all the customs and chocolate eggs (where can we find one of those special chickens?), the Easter break gives us time to relax, spend time with the family and enjoy all the great things about Spring!