We are past the point of midwinter here in Northern Illinois and getting a taste of early Spring! I have garlic popping up that my son and I planted in early November Late winter midwest weather is always a mixed bag!
We had a fun February Family Club event despite hopes for sledding, the kids loved painting the snow. We used squeeze bottles and food coloring but there are many ways to experiment with. I started doing this activity more than 15 years ago, saving squeeze bottles throughout the year and then using any old paint (that is also safe for our earth and its inhabitants!) to make watercolors and use the snow as a blank canvas. We used some remaining clumps of snow at the Sycamore Park District Sled Hill and made works of art!
We also took care of our flying friends by creating bird feeders with pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed. Thank you to the DeKalb Park District for sharing their leftover supplies from Polarpalooza!
Mid-February brought the start of the Lunar New Year (Year of the Dragon 🐉). Most countries that celebrate, honor the event with a week or two of celebrations! And Valentine’s Day might be over but the sentiment continues with Random Acts of Kindness Day on Saturday, February 17.
February also has 29 days this month! Find some unique ways to celebrate this year's bonus day:
Play Leap Frog 🐸 also measure your leap, who goes the farthest? The highest? The most froggy
Think of other animals that leap- do you have any in your backyard or nearest nature space?
Make a ‘trail mix’ of 29 items all of the cereals, nuts, seeds, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, small crackers/chips, add oats, shredded cheese 🤔
Join us Sunday, March 3 for our next Family Club Event at Prairie Park in DeKalb where you can explore Disc Golf, get your hands into some soil and plant a few seeds, and keep your backyard birds singing by making pinecone feeders
The first full week of March is Illinois Soil Health Week bringing farmers, organizations, legislators, and other partners to celebrate Illinois' most precious natural resource. Check out some of the great virtual programs focused on healthy soils and healthy bodies.
We are also definitely feeling a bit of Spring 🌱 Fever and March 19th cannot arrive soon enough!
Check out our calendar for more fun ways to infuse magic into the everyday!