10 Fun Ideas to Celebrate Spring Equinox 

By Pamela Worth   |   February 26, 2013 Originally published on Chatterblock

What is the Spring Equinox, you ask? Spring Equinox is when the sun crosses directly over the Earth’s equator and day and night are of equal length. This year it’s on March 20, and it marks the first day of Spring!

Here are 10 things you can do celebrate the coming of Spring:

1. Go on a worm walk on the next rainy day or the first day of spring.

Worms are fascinating to watch. Follow up with a warm cup of hot cocoa and a great book that teaches kids (and us!) why worms are so important to the earth. My two book recommendations are  Compost, By Gosh! by Michelle Eva Portman and  Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer.

2. Research composting with your kids.

Go to the library and read about composting and talk with your family about how great it is for the environment and your garden! Go on websites and visit gardening stores to find composters.  If you go to Whole Foods ask them to show you their composters in the back. They have huge composters in most stores, so think about what size you need or can fit.

3. Start a new tradition with a family gift on the Spring Equinox.

Why not make one of those composters part of your annual Spring Equinox family gift? Go for something that the whole family will benefit from and preferably something that gets everyone outside!

4. Take a rainbow walk in your neighborhood to see the blooming flowers.

Have each child hold a note card with each color represented with a marker circle. Challenge: Try and find each color in nature, not just a blue car etc.

5. Balance an egg.

There is a myth that the Spring and Fall equinoxes are the only days of the year that you can balance an egg on its end. On March 20th give this a try. The myth may last because most people only choose to try this on the first day of spring and fall!

6. Splash in puddles.

Simple old fashioned fun with rain boots or bare feet. The bigger the splash the better!

7. Spring cleaning.

Pick one drawer or one shelf or one closet a day throughout the first month of Spring. If you choose to spend 8 hours cleaning usually everyone burns out. Make a chart/calendar and and assign everyone to one section each a day, or do a section as a family. In our household with four kids, this means 6 drawers a day or 6 shelves. Of course things come up so it’s more like the first four Sundays of Spring, but we get it done!

8. Spring closet cleaning.

Let the kids choose what outgrown and unused toys and clothes to give away. Have them set up their own garage sale to take place during the warmer weather. See if there is something new for summer they want to buy by pooling all of their earnings together or if you can convince them to have a garage sale for a favorite charity.

9. Plan a garage sale.

Kids as young as 3 can participate in the sale. Our kids were able to buy a trampoline with their earnings and a year’s worth of change, saved in a jar. We did match their money, which helped, but they were so impressed with what they could do when they saved!

10. Before the sun is out regularly, plant a bud garden in an egg crate.

Find veggie, herb or flower seeds for the kids to make buds inside. All you need is a little soil, light and water! By Mother’s Day you all should be able to plant them outside.

Pamela Worth is the owner of Tiny Treks. She knows all kinds of great ways to explore the great outdoors with the kids!