Spring's Birthday Party
A few years ago, when Aiya wanted to know what the equinox was, I said that Spring was having her birthday. Aiya was so excited, she decided we should throw a party complete with cupcakes! The idea stuck, and Spring's Birthday was adopted as one of the festivals on our yearly calendar.
I'm a fan of making festivals simple, meaningful, and relevant to the children. For our family, festivals are a way of marking the seasons and the overall rhythm of the year. They are also a way to bring beauty and reverence into our lives. Through festivals we connect on a deeper level with the rhythms of nature.
Ideas for Celebrating Spring's Birthday
Set the scene with fresh flowers. Little wildflower bouquets from the yard, flowering branches, or spring bulbs are perfect.
Visit a farm to see what's growing in the spring and meet the baby animals. Visit a local farmer's market or farmstand if any are open in your area and see what's starting to come up.
Make flower crowns to wear, either from real flowers or ones like this.
Eat some favorite spring foods and serve carrot cupcakes for desert.
Sing happy birthday to Spring and then sing your favorite spring songs. Click here, here, and here for spring songs on the blog.
Plant something! Try planting grass seeds in shallow dishes or baskets to make a little indoor garden for your nature table or to use as Easter baskets. Dye Easter eggs or make wet-felted wool eggs. Hang up a net bag full of short scraps of yarn, string, fabric, roving, batting, or twigs for birds to use for building their nests.
Tell a story about the coming of spring. Make up a story about the flowers waking up and putting on their beautiful dresses to come to Spring's birthday party! Read the lovely classic The Story of the Root Children (we love this version too) and have fun with the Root Children Circle Play.
Go for a hike and look for signs of Spring. Did she come to her birthday party?
