Themes and Plans for April

Themes & Plans for April

April brings Pesach ...

And April also brings us (at long, long last), the first true days of spring: mild, soft and alive with sound and color. Nature is finally shrugging off its winter shawl, and showering us with its warm and friendly welcome.

It feels so good to open the windows again, and to leave the house with just a sweater - or none at all! I have been trying to introduce more nature study into our lives now that Froggy is able to particpate better and our plans reflect it. There are many, many joys to explore with our children this month, and what follows is but a sampling, just my own thoughts for the season. As always, I'd love to hear yours! But for now, please join me as I consider ...

~ Themes and Plans for April ~

Nature

  • Tulips start to bloom.
  • Skunk cabbage grows in marshy areas.
  • Bears are waking in the (deep) woods.
  • Cherry blossoms everywhere.
  • The skies are gray one minute, blue the next ...
  • ... and so rainbows are quite possible.
  • Forsythia is bursting all over.
  • At night we hear the spring peepers.
  • Mourning cloaks are the first butterflies we'll see.
  • Returning ~ thrush, phoebe, mockingbird and catbird.
  • The smell of wild onions is in the air.
  • We'll have rainy days; the rivers will swell.
  • Warm days are more frequent now.
  • Juncos leave; chipmunks re-appear.
  • Humpbacks are migrating back north.
  • Time to check for ticks again.
  • Dandelions are plentiful underfoot.
  • The Full Pink Moon rises on April 9th.
  • Bluebells appear along the wood's edge.
  • The grass is greening.
  • The goldfinches are brightening.
Food -PESACH
  • matzah, matzah and more matzah
  • matzah balls
  • gefilte fish
  • lots of egg salad
  • matza brei
  • flourless chocolate torte
  • macaroons
  • new potatoes
  • asparagus
  • dandelions
  • radishes
  • spring lamb
  • snap peas
  • spinach

Religion

  • Pesach (8-15)
  • Berakath HaHamah
  • Counting of the Omer
  • Leviticus
  • Yom HaShoah (21)
  • Rosh Chodesh (24)
  • Yom HaAtzmaut (29)

Household (& Garden)

  • Take outdoor furniture out of storage.
  • Clean out potting shed.
  • Establish new garden beds.
  • Prepare containers; purchase new ones.
  • Organize garden tools.
  • Prune flowering bushes after blooming.
  • Visit the nursery for spring plants, garden structures.
  • Arrange mulch delivery
  • Rake and compost leaf litter/debris.
  • Spread fresh mulch.
  • Finish spring cleaning / Pesach Prep.
  • Family meeting re ~ summer plans.
  • Turn on outside faucet.
  • Organize financial files.
  • Spiff up the bikes.
  • Get bike for Daddy

Life

  • National Autism Awareness Month
  • National Poetry Month
  • National Keep America Beautiful Month
  • National Aquarium Month
  • Cherry Blossom Festival
  • April Fools Day (1)
  • Hans Christian Anderson (2)
  • National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day (2)
  • Washington Irving (3)
  • Find a Rainbow Day (3)
  • No Housework Day (7)
  • Pesach (8)
  • 100th Day of the Year (9)
  • Thomas Jefferson (13)
  • Tax Day (15)
  • National Animal Crackers Day (18)
  • Earth Day (22)
  • William Shakespeare (23)
  • Arbor Day (25)

Book Basket

Field Trips & Outings

  • Matzah Factory
  • Annual outing for Pesach supplies
  • Second Seder at shul
  • Nature Hikes
  • Sunflower Garden

Crafts & Activities

  • Make afikomen bag
  • Make pillow cases for Seder
  • Make wilding sticks and nature bracelets.
  • Clean up litter in a local park.
  • Prepare field bags for spring.
  • Begin new nature journals.
  • Paint a butterfly house.
  • Look for tadpoles at the creek.
  • Conduct a rainbow experiment.
  • Go on a rainbow walk.
  • Paint rocks for garden markers.
  • Start vegetable garden
  • Set up a nature table at home.
  • Make tissue paper butterflies.
  • Color a butterfly guide.
  • Befriend a tree; start a notebook.
  • Look for nests before leaves come in.
  • Prepare May baskets.

Well,that is more then I can possibly do in a month but it will give me plenty of inspiration to run through during the month and help keep me inspired and focused.

April is here at last - and it will be gone before we know it - so let's make the most of it, my friends! Happy Spring!

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