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The days are starting to grow longer and warmer. Children are able to spend more time outdoors. When you can, go out and help them discover the wonders of spring.
- Put some string or yarn outside. Watch to see if it gets carried away to become part of a bird’s nest. If you see a nest don’t touch it because it will scare the mother bird away, but you might be able to see young birds after they are hatched.
- Watch for sprouts of early bulbs and look for buds on trees and bushes that are starting to swell. Cut small branches and put them in a vase of water in the house. Watch as the flowers or leaves start to unfold.
- If you live near a pond look for frogs’ eggs. You can bring some home by putting pond water and a small clump of frog eggs in a container. Take some weeds from the pond too. About a week after they hatch feed them fish food. When their back legs have grown put them back in the pond. It would also be fun to go ponding with a long handled net. Sweep the net through the water and then empty your “catch” into a pan with some pond water in it. Examine what you’ve caught with a magnifying glass. Always put whatever you have caught back into the pond.
- Take advantage of the spring breezes and blow bubbles, fly a kite or make a homemade pin- wheel. Draw an X on a square piece of paper from corner to corner. Cut halfway along each line and fold alternate corners into the center. Overlap the points and connect it to a stick with a pin. A bead behind the head of the pin may help it to spin better.
- Collect early spring flowers and press them between sheets of newspaper weighted down with heavy books for a week or two. Once they are dry, arrange them on paper and glue them down – make greeting cards, book marks, or a picture.
- Soak a dried bean in water overnight then place it in a jar with a damp paper towel or cotton balls. Put the bean next to the glass so you can watch it change. After a few days it will start to grow roots, and then leaves. If you wish, you can plant it in soil in a flowerpot so that it will grow longer.
Passover is an eight day celebration. It commemorates the freedom of Jewish slaves from Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II. Families celebrate Passover by having a Seder. With special foods, songs, and customs, the Seder is the focal point of the Passover celebration. Seder means order, and the Passover story is read in order from a book called a haggadah.
Last night the au pairs enjoyed an evening of pampering by Dixie from Mary Kay as she instructed the girls on proper skin care techniques and provided professional make-up tips. The girls were able to experiment with a variety of eye and lip colors to create the perfect look for the International Naval Ball held in Annapolis, Maryland the next night!
