Spring Equinox Activities for Kids
Spring is in the air, here are some ways to celebrate while you learn about the spring equinox. I love the gentle shifting of seasons, and while it may still be snowing where you are, spring is coming soon! t’s a great time to notice the little things, for us it’s always the first blossoms on our peach tree! This year the persimmon tree leaves were only a week behind, so we are feeling VERY spring-y now!
If you are looking for a homeschool lesson on the spring equinox, you can find a FREE printable activity packet HERE!
Every year we have two equinoxes and two solstices- these have always been very special days in our home, and have historically marked the changing of the seasons since ancient times. Equinoxes happen in Spring and Fall and here in the Northern Hemisphere we are very excited for the spring equinox this month.
An equinox is when there is a nearly even amount of daytime and night time- it’s the closest it ever gets to being exactly even day and night.
Spring equinox signals the return of longer days and shorter nights, the seeds that have been waiting deep in the soil start waking up and as the Earth gets a bit warmer each day, sprouts start popping up! I know there are many places that may not feel at all like winter is over, but come equinox, that official shift in the amount of daylight we get should start perking us all up a bit!
Spring equinox has been an important mark of seasonal change since ancient times. We know this thanks to the amazing evidence these early people left us that is still intact today.
In Peru, the city of Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city on top of a mountain. There is a huge stone at the top of the mountain that casts a shadow through out the day EXCEPT for the two days a year (spring and fall equinox) when the shadow disappears!!!
The Mayans built a giant pyramid around the year 1000, on the spring equinox the sun appears to make the pattern of a snake of the stairs of the temple and they call this day “return of the sun serpent”.
If you happen to be standing directly in front of the Sphinx in Egypt on the spring equinox, the sun will sit for a moment on the Sphinx’s right shoulder as it sets.
There are many, many more examples like this- all over the world!
The four cardinal points on the ancient calendar are the Solstices and Equinoxes, so it always feels like a way to connect with natures annual cycle.
There are MANY spring holidays, festivals, celebrations and traditions to learn about at this time of year and I highly recommend diving in to some online research, spending a day at the library, or heading to the book store and learning about the way people all over the world are celebrating in the time surrounding the equinox.
This time also marks the astrological new year as well, it’s been a celebrated time of new beginnings in many places for many, many years.
If you think of beautifully colored eggs at this time of year, you’re not alone! These are called pysanky in Ukraine. One piece of lore, that is a more modern version of a very old story- says that a Goddess Estore came upon a dying bird and was able to heal it by turning it into a hare. Because the spirit of the animal was still a bird, it laid eggs and decorated them as a gift of gratitude for the Goddess. I absolutely love this story and find it so beautiful and fun, a great way to tie the eggs and bunnies together! We really don’t know exactly how it started as Pysanky are a relic from pre-Christian times. It appears the eggs were decorated with patterns and symbols that would protect from evil, welcome blessings and offer protection. They used natural dyes like the skin of an onion, beet root, tree barks, spices, flowers and herbs.
I remember being a bit confused by the whole “egg and bunny” thing as a kid (the candy didn’t confuse me as long as I got to eat some before breakfast) but really these have been symbols of spring, birth, fertility, new beginnings and life as long as history has any kind of record.
Here are some fun ways to learn about the Equinox and celebrate Spring.
Get outside. I know there can still be A LOT of snow in many places at this time of year- but for us it’s always the time we get our garden cleaned up and ready for the next few months. We tend to spend WAY more time outdoors in March than we do in January or February- which has definitely become something we all look forward to. Seeds and sprouts and new beginnings are such a potent theme at this time- that planting something together is an excellent way to celebrate the new season.
A really fun activity is to make seed bombs! You can make them and plant them, they are pretty easy to mail or leave on a neighbors porch, so also a great gift to share! Even if it’s still too cold to plant where you are you can opt to germinate indoors OR just make the bombs and plant them when the temp warms up a bit!
We always decorate eggs this time of year and have tried about a zillion different ways to do it. You can buy a traditional kit or experiment with making your own natural dyes with onion skins, beets, spinach and other fun stuff. We’ve painted them, used the shaving cream method, glittered them up- you name it. There’s no wrong way to do it and it’s so much fun.
Spring is when the farm is full of baby animals! There are soooo many cute bunny & chick crafts to do. The Equinox means we start getting more sun, longer days and shorter, as the weather warms we get more rain so we tend to see more rainbows at this time of year! You can find all kinds of baby animal and rainbow craft ideas on my Spring Pinterest idea board!
If you want to make a lesson plan out of it, check out my SPRING EQUINOX Activity book and Lesson Guide- I’m excited about this one! I will be making these the other 4 points of the year, and also for other fun topics we deep dive into seasonally. Included, you’ll find all sorts of activities you can do with your kiddos. I’ve worked through these with my kids and our homeschool group (which is an age range of preschooler-4th grader) so you can adapt and modify a bit to assist or challenge as needed.
Other activities & correspondences for Spring:
Nature exploration and observation, nature or art journaling. You can do this in your own yard, from your window, walking around in your neighborhood- or take a trip and go for a hike or explore a new place! Bring some paper or your camera with you and then capture some memories through writing, art or photos that you print and put together in a journal.
There’s a reason every preschooler in the country is learning Butterfly Lifecycles right about now, Spring is great for studying animal life cycles because there are so many adorable baby animals! The Equinoxes and solstices are always good reminders to study and observe the seasons and the other cycles that surround u. It’s also a great time to investigate and learn about signs of Spring in different communities, species etc.
We do loads of gardening in the spring as soon as it gets warm enough. I don’t know about you, but we neglect our garden a bit in the winter months and as the year gets off to a new start- it’s our own cycle over here, so when the weather starts to warm up we have lots of work to do!! Seed planting, weeding, etc. This is a great time to clear out and glow up your outdoor space in preparation for the new season.
Crystals, herbs, & colors for Spring -it’s dreamy Pisces season, that is about to wake up and rock Aries style when the Spring Equinox rolls around, so crystals that bring balance, focus and center you for new beginnings are perfect for this time of year.
Ritual-wise, this is a good time to reignite your monthly moon practice if you’ve fallen off of that rythym, and also what better season to clean and cleanse your life in SO many ways! Detox your social media, clear piles of clutter, wash things, this is the time to deep clean in preparation for all good energy headed your way! You can also create your own family rituals for this time of year! My tip for doing this is to think of your senses- sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste, and spirituality and create some fun Spring Equinox traditions you can enjoy year after year.
If you do baskets for Spring, Easter or Ostara you can get some fun “non-candy” ideas here!
For more craft and lesson ideas you can visit my SPRING PINTEREST board.
What are some of the ways you celebrate this season? If you’re doing some seed planting, or spring baking or craft projects- I want to see! Tag me (@bethgriffin_co) in your stories and social posts!!