Spring time means having fun in the garden. During spring, you can notice new life everywhere you look – flowers are blooming and trees are growing. What a great time to start planning a garden that will give the whole family fresh veggies during the summer and fall months.

Begin by starting seeds of any vegetables you want inside and then transplant them into your prepared garden when the threat of frost has passed. Mark off the garden to indicate where you want each type of plant to be planted. Or you can choose to plant your garden using the square foot plan, where you create a grid and plant in those squares. Whichever plan you choose for your garden, now is the time to think about and plan for it.

Make sure to enjoy the outside and have fun at the same time. Let the child within you out as you and your children blow bubbles with home-made bubble solution. Here’s an easy way you can make it: Put cup of corn syrup in a bowl. Add 4 cups of water followed by 1 cup of liquid dish soap. Stir well. You can use a wire coat hanger, pipe cleaners, or jewelry wire to make a bubble wand. Now it’s time to enjoy making bubbles with the kids.

Does everyone in the family have bikes? This may be a good time to take them out, clean them up and get them all ready so you and your family can go for a bike ride. This family activity is great exercise and will help you get the kinks out of your body after being indoors. You may want to have one adult up front and one following behind the group for safety.

Go for a hike and look for signs of spring. You will probably find crocus, daffodils, and violets along with other native flowers. Don’t be surprised if you also find ladybugs, bees, and wasps. You might even find some small frogs or toads along the way if you’re near water.

Enjoy the zoo this springtime too. Many animals have their young during the spring, so you may see some babies while you’re there. Take the time to see if the zoo has a website so you know what the layout of the zoo is, where your family’s favorite animals are housed, and where the restrooms and food pavilions are.

Go to the park and fly a kite. Springtime winds are usually perfect for kite flying. You can buy kites for less than $10, often much less than that. Find an open field, a breezy day, and then let the kites fly. Don’t be surprised if younger children are mesmerized by the kites as they soar through the air.

Admit it, the warmer weather of springtime is calling on you to go outside and have some fun and enjoy the sun! Use any of these springtime activities for the whole family, or come up with some ideas of your own. After being cooped up all winter long, everyone in your family will definitely have fun spending some quality time together outdoors.

Recommendations:
Get your kids their own garden tools – ToySmith Garden Tote with Tools
Enjoy flying a colorful kite – Skyfoil™ Frameless Parafoil Kite: Prism by X-Kites

Many people think of going to the beach during spring break but for those who can not go … there are other options. Anyway, the beaches can get crowded because everyone else ends up going there. Below are just some ideas on other things you can do with your kids this spring break:

Have Fun at the Amusement Parks

What other perfect time to hit the amusement parks but during spring break. It’s not as hot as it is in the summer, and it probably won’t be nearly as crowded. Most amusement parks have fun activities for kids of all ages as well as adults, so it will be an experience that the whole family can enjoy.

Make sure to check ahead of time because some amusement parks have different hours during the spring than in the summer. You might also be able to find coupons that will save you money since it’s not traditionally a busy time of year.

Enjoy the Outdoors and Go Camping

Taking a trip to the wilderness is a fun spring break activity. While it may still be a bit too chilly at night to “rough it” in a tent, you could take a camper or RV. Renting a cabin is also an option in many parks.

Planning activities in advance will help prevent boredom for the kids. It’s also nice to touch base with civilization a time or two during your trip. Going out to eat or to a movie mid-week will provide a nice change of pace.

Take a Step Back in Time, Enjoy Historical Destinations

Taking a trip to an historical destination is an educational spring break option. This could entail anything from a day trip to some nearby historical places to a week-long stay in city that is rich with history, such as Washington, D.C.

If you’re planning a long trip, it’s wise to make sure that the place where you’re going has plenty of things to keep your family occupied. If you’re concerned about running out of things to do and see, consider visiting two or three different places. The kids won’t mind if you have to stop by an amusement park along the way.

Take a Cruise

Cruises allow vacationers to visit several destinations on one trip, usually at an affordable price. There are lots of kid-friendly cruise options for families on spring break. Some cruise packages are geared toward families with children in specific age ranges, but there are also lots of cruises that offer something for everyone.

Most ships offer a variety of on board and excursion activities. Many also offer babysitting for younger children while Mom and Dad participate in adult activities. Some of the newer ships offer family suites.

Spring break is a great time for family vacations. But there’s no rule saying that you have to go to the beach. There are lots of other places that make great spring break destinations for families.

PS – Keep kids busy when the family goes camping with Kids Explorer Adventure Camping and Hiking Toy Set

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Snacks – There are any number of fun snacks you could have for the kids to munch on while dinner is being fixed. Green jello squares can be a quick and easy snack, that’s not too filling. They can even be cut with cookie cutters into shamrocks.

Shamrock biscuits are a nice snack, and something the kids can help make. Take two refrigerated biscuits, or sugar cookies, and cut them in half. Put the three sections together to make the shamrock and shape the fourth piece into a stem. They can either sprinkle green sprinkles on them, or “paint” them with water with green food coloring added and then bake.

Side Dishes and Appetizers – Soups are a great side dish or appetizer for a traditional Irish dinner. A cabbage and lamb stew would be very fitting. Or you could add potatoes, carrots and other vegetables to the lamb. Another soup would be Beer Potato Soup, which is based on a chicken stock with cream added, in addition to the beer and potatoes. Add a little onion, celery, sugar and salt and pepper to taste, and you have a hearty, tradition soup.

Main Dishes – Corned beef and cabbage, also known as Bubble and Squeak because the cabbage bubbles and squeaks while it cooks, is probably one of the most popular Irish dinners for St. Patrick’s Day and it is fairly simple to make. Combine some onion, whole peppercorn, cloves, parsley and the corned beef in a pot of water. Cover it and let it simmer until the meat is tender. Then add the cabbage that has been cut into sections, and let simmer again until it is also tender. Add some horseradish to sour cream to serve with it.

Shepherd’s Pie is another traditional dish to serve for St. Patrick’s Day. You can use either lamb or beef in this dish. There are several ways to prepare it, but it is still fairly easy. Cook some onions in either butter or oil; add some other vegetables like carrots, peas or other favorites. Stir in some flour and cook until it’s browned a little and add some beef stock. Boil it for about five minutes, and then add the meat, which has been finely chopped, and boil again. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a baking dish. Cover it with mashed potatoes and then bake at 350 for about a half hour. You can add shredded cheese to it when there is about ten minutes left.

Breads – There are many different types of bread that can be served at a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Scones are a nice, light option. You can also make Irish bread that has baking powder and soda instead of yeast. Many people like to add raisins or currants to the bread. Irish Brown Soda bread is a whole wheat bread that also uses baking soda, instead of yeast. It also has rolled oats and buttermilk, giving it a heavier texture.

Desserts – What would a holiday meal be without desserts? A green velvet cake with white frosting is a sweet end to the meal. Shamrock shaped cookies are also a fun thing to have. A Killarney Cake can be made with a chocolate fudge cake mix, with crme de menthe or peppermint extract instead of water. Stir in chopped green cherries. Top with whipped cream and more chopped green cherries. It can be put together as a layer cake, with a layer of whipped cream between each layer.

Traditional Irish foods are the perfect addition to any St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Even if you aren’t Irish, you may soon find some of them to be new family favorites you might even fix all year round.

If you are not a fan of “green food”, don’t worry, people do expect to see rainbow colors during this time mainly due to the leprechauns pot o gold at the end of the rainbow. So, feel free to use any color for desserts. These ideas of St. Patrick’s Day desserts may help you find desserts everyone will love without fear of their teeth turning green!

JELLO – Colored gelatin can make a great St. Patrick’s Day dessert. Create a gelatin rainbow in a bowl. Make several flavors and colors of gelatin, then cut them up into small squares. Or, if you wish, you can just stick with green jello. Place them in a glass bowl so their colors can be seen and top the dessert with whipped cream. Children will love this idea.

CUPCAKES – these are normally a hit for dessert. Make regular cupcakes but add some St. Patrick’s Day fun. Stir in candy shamrocks and bake. Frost with orange or yellow frosting. You can also make shamrock-shaped cupcakes by placing small balls of aluminum foil between the side of the baking dish and baking cup before pouring batter into the cup. When the cupcakes are finished, they will come out with the shape of a shamrock if you placed the aluminum balls correctly.

COOKIES – Now, who doesn’t love home-made cookies? Find cookie cutters in the shape of shamrocks, leprechaun hats, pots of gold, Celtic crosses, or any other Irish icon. Let the children join the fun making the cookies and then decorating them. You can also make cookies and then fill them with green icing.

Adults often have a sweet tooth, too, so why not try this Toffee Shortbread cookie bar? You’ll need the following ingredients for the shortbread:

* 3/4 cup softened butter
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 cups all-purpose flour

For the toffee, you will need:

* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping, you will need the following:

* 1 6-ounce bag of chocolate chips
* Chopped nuts (optional)

Start with the shortbread by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the flour until it is mixed well and then press that into a 9-inch square pan. Bake this for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow the cookie to cool.

For the toffee, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients except vanilla and bring this to a boil. Continue cooking this for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to ensure the mixture doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat and then add the vanilla. Pour the toffee mixture over the cookie which is still in the pan. Allow this to cool completely.

The topping is made by melting the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Stir the chocolate until smooth, then add chopped nuts if desired, and pour it over the cooled toffee and cookie.

These are but a few St. Patrick’s Day dessert ideas you can choose from. If your family enjoys a particular dessert but you don’t consider it Irish enough, add green food coloring and it’ll work just fine!