Discovering the Delights of Spring through Reading

Spring…it’s a welcome time of discovery in every child’s life. A great way to help your child “discover” spring is by reading together about this extraordinary season. There are books that simply celebrate this exhilarating season, and others that teach your child what’s behind the new life springing up during this time of year. Still others offer ways to help your child truly participate in the “rituals” of spring, and to learn important lessons along the way. Learn how your child can squeeze the most out of the season—by reading.

Making new discoveries about spring activity
Reading about the wonders of spring can’t compare to truly experiencing the sights, smells, and sounds of spring firsthand. Although, books can give your child a better appreciation of what’s going on in the natural world during this time. Simultaneously, you’ll be introducing to your child an important connection - that reading books (and other printed and electronic material) opens doors to new discoveries.

Take earthworms, for instance. Reading about the role of earthworms as “composters” may not be as fun a proposition to the very young child as digging in the dirt for worms. But for the inquisitive child who wants to know why these critters live underground in the firstplace, a book like Squirmy Wormy Composters, by Bobbie Kalman & Janine Schaub, (Crabtree Publishing, 1992) can reveal fascinating facts about how worms pave the way for better growth of trees and plants. For younger readers wanting to learn about an earthworm’s life, Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin, (Johanna Cotler, 2003) sheds a new light on a creature that spends most of its time underground. Written in diary form, this hilarious book tracks the ins and outs of life from the worm’s perspective.

Other examples of great springtime discoveries include reading about how chicks hatch, when tadpoles turn to frogs, and where caterpillars morph into butterflies. After reading about spring themes in books, take a trip outdoors to look for the real thing.

Find lessons embedded in how-to spring reading projects
Imagine a child’s delight in finding that a bird has made a nest in the backyard birdhouse. That delight increases exponentially if the birdhouse has been built by the child (with adult supervision, of course). Such an achievement can instill pride, and more.

So, what "more" can children learn along the way while finishing their project?

How to do research is one significant concept that building a birdhouse can introduce. For starters, the child must decide what type of house will be built. That can involve “researching” what type of birds live in your region and the kind of houses that attract certain types of birds. You may assist your child in an Internet and/or library search to find this information. This is also great preparation for school-based research projects.

Learning how to follow instructions is another “ancillary” benefit of a birdhouse-making project. It involves both careful reading and, as important, comprehending what’s been read. This is called “reading to perform a task” and is a critical skill that all readers should acquire. If your child’s too young to read, engaging him in the process is a good building block for future hands-on projects.

However you choose to enjoy spring with your children this year, be sure to make reading about the season an integral part of your celebration.

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