Spring has sprung (despite a few straggling snow storms) but warm temperatures are definitely right around the corner. Cabin fever set in long ago and it’s time to start getting kids out of the house and doing stuff outside (weather permitting obviously) or out to different activities in the community. The opportunities are endless, so here are just a few simple ideas to get your spring time fun started.
- Plant something green together. Spring is the perfect time to get the gardening tools out and start a new garden together. It can become your summer project to water it and tend to the plants together and teach your kids about what it takes to have a garden.
- Take a hike. There are plenty of great trails around Des Moines to go for a hike or a walk together. Check out our blog article for a list of our favorites.
- Fly a kite. Wait for the weather to be nice and have a slight breeze for this one, but get a kite and take the kids out to teach them how to fly a kite.
- Have a picnic at a park. Spring weather is perfect for having picnics because it’s not too hot yet to where you’ll be sweating while sitting outside. Grab your sweetie and head to a park with a basket and picnic blanket and some sandwiches and have a good old fashioned picnic.
- Go park hopping. Get a list of all of the parks and playgrounds in Des Moines and go park hopping. See how many of them you can visit in an afternoon and how many different playgrounds you can play on, then rank them in order from your favorite to least favorite.
- Geocaching. Geocaching is a great way to get outside and enjoy the weather while also possibly seeing new parts of town. Geocaching takes you on an outdoor scavenger hunt with a GPS to find trinkets hidden outside. Download the app on your phone today to get started.
- Visit the Farmer’s Market. Start a tradition of visiting the Farmer’s Market every week when it’s going on. It’s a great opportunity to support local vendors and farmers and get locally grown produce.
- Have a rainy day movie marathon. April showers bring May flowers. Spring time is notorious for rain storms, so next time it rains, plan on having a movie marathon day. Pick a category of movies, like all of the Harry Potter movies or Lord of the Rings movies, and watch them back-to-back, or as many as you’re able to.
- Visit the zoo/wildlife refuge/fish hatchery. The zoo is a great, often hidden, treasure of some towns. Find the nearest zoo or wildlife refuge or fish hatchery and go check it out. It’s a great day date idea, as well as a great place to take the kids to learn about new animals.
- Go camping. Grab all of that camping gear that you’ve been saying for months that you want to use and head out to your favorite camping spot and set up camp for a night or a whole weekend. It’s a great stress reliever and a quick, cheap way to go on a mini staycation in your own town.