April is my favorite month of the year. Good things always happen this month including my son's birthday, Earth Day on the 22nd, and SPRING!! We have been cooped up in our house for so long and like many of you, we welcome the warmer days and the burst of color they bring with them. With two children who love the outdoors, spring provides so many opportunities to escape the house and explore the world outside our door.
As such, I was excited to learn that PBS KIDS and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) have joined forces to launch the annual Explore the Outdoors campaign, which encourages families to celebrate nature and the outdoors this spring.
Starting this Monday, April 7, PBS KIDS kicks off Earth Month with themed, on-air programming and online and mobile content. NRPA members across the country and local PBS member stations are hosting events throughout the month with PBS KIDS Explore the Outdoors activities and materials.
My son is most excited that PBS KIDS Explore the Outdoors will include eco-themed programming weeks from Wild Kratts (PSST! We downloaded their new app today!) and Arthur, as well as the premiere of “The Cyberchase Movie” and the launch of the new web-original PLUM LANDING.
We started off the month by celebrating nature and the outdoors with a garden activity from the 2014 PBS Kids Explore the Outdoors Toolkit. It has us itching to start planting new seedlings in our garden and flowers in our flower beds.
You can see the materials above with the exception of some potting soil, which I forgot to add. "Arthur's Green Thumb" is just one of the fun activities for which you can print directions. Your kids can also create their own weather station, leaf/bark rubbing, nature journals, collages and more.
We're now anxiously awaiting Monday's new Wild Kratts episode (because you know we're total WK groupies in this house).
So grab a book and your kids and head outside this month! Soak in a little sunshine and vitamin D while you take your class out in the fresh air! Play some games, climb a tree, or just sit and enjoy the buzzing of the bees and the birds in the trees.
How is your family celebrating spring and the outdoors?