Things to Do and Ways to Enjoy Springtime

Compiled by MFFC Educational Team

Check out a pond and wait for the first amphibians to appear to see which amphibians are out and about.

Look for early spring ephemerals that are blooming: trout lilies, dutchman’s breeches, violets, jack-in-the-pulpits and red trilliums.

Get involved in citizen science and document your findings with iNaturalist.

Pick some forsythia branches; bring them inside, force them in water to bloom.

Go for a hike, and pay close attention to the trees and forest as you go….what do you notice? See the newly unfurled leaves?

Start a new nature journal, keeping track of dates when flowers and wildlife start to appear.

Take a long walk or hike and watch nature waking up.

Farm animals are being born everywhere! Find a farm near you and visit them.

Sit quietly in the woods, or in a field, and listen to the world waking up.

Take up bird watching, or head outside to add to your life-list

Pull some invasive garlic mustard and make pesto from it. (Early and young shoots only)

Go foraging for ramps, fiddleheads - be sure to collect responsibility!

Take a hike and notice the changing forest composition

Watch for “bud-out” on different species of trees...what do you notice?

Stomp in a mud puddle, or make mud pies!

Climb a tree and see the world from a different vantage point

Fly a kite, make a pinwheel.

Build a tree fort....for your kids, or yourself

Help amphibian migration as they cross the roads on those first warm, rainy nights.

Watch the greening trees creep up the mountainsides.

Listen to nighttime peepers.

Try some maple syrup in a new recipe

Help your garden wake up by giving it a gentle rake.

Watch and listen for ravens, working on their pole barn nest and preparing for nestlings.

Our Philosophy

We believe that children thrive when given the freedom to immerse themselves in nature through exploration and guided discovery. By slowing down and using their senses to fully experience the world around them, kids develop a sense of curiosity, love and responsibility. Through this, they emerge with deeper empathy, a better sense of their place in the world, and the knowledge that they can make a difference.