Mansfield Mothers’ Club: The Spirit of Spring

Did you hear the collective sigh that went up as the Spring weather started to break? I realized we were well on our way to the wonderful spring season when I left my house one morning before dawn and it wasn’t freezing outside! Now, don’t get me wrong, it was brisk, but 40 degrees feels so much nicer than 20 degrees.

April is really the first month of the new year when our Club can plan activities outside and not have to wear multiple layers or worry we will have to cancel an event because of snow (which we did have to do several times over the past two months).

This is also the month for our Mansfield Mothers' Club's Spring Party! This year we will host the event at Maplewood Day Camp and Enrichment Center. Please email mansfieldmothersclub@gmail.com if you’d like more info or if you are interested in joining our Club.

In the spirit of the season, here are just a few of the seasonal ideas we included in this month’s newsletter for keeping kids active and interested in Spring.

Rock Garden

Planting a garden this year? Get creative with your plant markers. Have your children hunt out smooth flat rocks. Let them wash them in soapy water and dry them. Once completely dry decorate them with paint. Use a good paint for outdoor use (remember to put some old clothing on the kiddos)  since typically children’s washable paint won’t hold up to the rain. Once the paint is dry use black to write down the different food, herbs and flowers planted in the garden. Sealing the rocks is a good idea, too. For more ideas, head over to Pinterest or Martha Stewart’s site.

Spring Wind

If you have yarn and shells left over from last year you can try making a wind chimes. Use a long stick found outside as your base. Hang three or more pieces of yarn, ribbon, or raffia from it. Tie on shells and hang by making a triangle with your ribbon at the top.

Sounds of the Season

Clear your throat, find your pitch (even off-key!) and give your kids the giggles with these tunes.

“Rain”
First I was a raindrop, falling, falling. First I was a raindrop, drop, drop, drop. 
Next I was a puddle, puddle, puddle. Next I was a puddle with my friends.
Then there came some children, children, children. Then there came some children,
SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!
(sing the song in a quiet voice, fingers wiggling in the air for rain falling, flat palm towards the floor in a circular motion for a puddle, when the children come slap the floor as you loudly say splash splash splash.)

“The Farmer Plants the Seeds”
To the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell"
The farmer plants the seeds,
The farmer plants the seeds,
The farmer plants the seeds,
Hi, ho, the derry-oh,
The farmer plants the seeds. The rain falls gently down, The rain falls gently down, The rain falls gently down,
Hi, ho, the derry-oh,
The rain falls gently down.
The sun shines so warm,
The sun shines so warm,
The sun shines so warm,
Hi, ho, the derry-oh,
The sun shines so warm.
The seeds begin to grow,
The seeds begin to grow,
The seeds begin to grow,
Hi, ho, the derry-oh,
The seeds begin to grow.
The plants blow in the breeze, The plants blow in the breeze, The plants blow in the breeze, Hi, ho, the derry-oh,
The plants blow in the breeze.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. Some of our members were watching the race as spectators and cheering on loved ones. As we unfortunately shared in our post after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, there are rich sources of advice for talking with kids available from The National Association of School Psychologists, The American Psychological Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Cancer Society,The Children’s Trust Fund and Common Sense Media. We do hope the rest of this spring is a peaceful time for folks in our community.

Can you share any ideas to involve kids in the spirit of spring?

Jessica Symonds is president of The Mansfield Mothers' Club, a non-profit organization aimed at providing support for local parents. For more information visit http://mansfieldmothersclub.com, email mansfieldmothersclub@gmail.com or write to Mansfield Mothers' Club, P.O. Box 831, Mansfield, MA 02048.