Springtime

Finally the first day of Spring has come and gone and the warm weather, I'm sure, is on its way...soon!  There are many fun things to do outside, when the weather permits, but one thing I think of when I think of springtime, is beautiful, planted flowers!  Planting flowers can be a great activity for you and your youngsters of all ages.  Mid-March is a perfect time to start planting (or at least thinking about) your perfect flower garden.  On ehow.com, it goes over some of the fundamentals of planting a flower bed.  Here are some of their suggestions:

Annual flowers generally suit planting in late winter or early spring, depending on their hardiness, your location and the flower species. For example, cold-hardy annuals will tolerate planting in the middle of March. 

If you have young perennial flower plants, the ideal time to get them into the ground is early spring, not fall....Perennial means they keep producing flowers for at least two years until the plant dies, so you don't need to dig up the spent flowers at the end of summer.

Read more: The Time to Plant Flowers | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8039544_time-plant-flowers.html#ixzz1HSCEHgp2

While planting flowers there are many lessons to be taught.  You can allow your child to pick out the flower, help them identify the color, how many petals it has, the color of the pollen (all of these can be found on the seed package); help them understand how to care for the flower--it needs sunlight and water; have them draw a picture of what their plant looks like everyday...I'm sure this will be a great lesson in patience, as we adults know that it takes a while!!!  

Happy Planting!