April is the first breath of spring, and children will be growing increasingly eager to spend time outside. But Nebraska is Nebraska, so you never know for sure what weather will be like in those early spring months.
That doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the coming of the warm sun, fun spring activities, and all the wonderful changes that spring brings. Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) (an initiative of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation) has plenty of online books you can relate to spring that can help celebrate the season even on those one-off bad weather days. Here are just few of the options available to you:
- It’s Spring—Full of the simple activities that define spring, this book gets children excited about everything from the weather to spring sports. Too cold to go outside? Read this great spring book and plan an activity like planting seeds inside to move outside when the weather is nice.
- Fun on a Slide—Can’t get outside? Do the next best thing and imagine what fun you will have on a slide when the weather is better. You can even make miniature slides indoors for stuffed animals or for rolling cars down.
- A Rainbow for You—Rain, rain, go away . . . okay maybe not. But spring rain often brings rainbows, and whether they’re visible or not, you can always make an indoor rainbow. This book offers imaginative ways to create your own rainbow from clay or chalk or any other way you dream up.
Even when spring is at its best, you can still use our NGR books during quiet times to prepare children for the outdoor activities they’ll soon be enjoying. Use one of these great NGR books to set up the exciting things you have planned for the day:
- Sand Play—Ah, the warm sand on little feet! Kids love the sand box, and Sand Play gets them excited about all the different things they can do, from filling buckets to burying a toy. When nap time is over, and you’re looking for that transitional activity before you go outside, this book is bound to waken the senses and get kids ready for some sandy fun.
- Neighborhood Safari—Take your children on a grand adventure by planning a backyard safari. Place different stuffed or toy animals around your outdoor play area and then read them Neighborhood Safari to get them excited about the “wild” animals they’ll find. All that’s left is to lead them through the wilds.
- Garden Guardians—Looking for a good learning outdoor adventure? Read Garden Guardians, which is full of the little creatures (insects) that keep our plants healthy. You can make bug flash cards, read the book, and then take your children outside to see what helpful insects they spot.
Of course, the NGR Online Library has plenty of other free books to read and offers them in multiple languages. Find the right book for you. You can read these books by following the links below or visit the NGR library to find more free books to read online.
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