Ideas to Celebrate an All American Spring

Ready for ideas to celebrate an American spring? Celebrate all spring long with these creative ideas!

We have more patriotic, historic, and just plain creative and fun ideas than actual days in the season! Prepare to be egg-cited!

It’s an American spring! and it’s time to celebrate!

Patriotic

See (and learn about) the famous Washington DC Cherry Blossoms: It’s a fascinating story that begins in 1885. In 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo gifted 3,000 cherry trees to the American capital. Now we celebrate an annual spring festival every year and they are a sight to behold and a testament to cultural relations.

Evacuation Day: In Boston there is a VERY Patriotic holiday. that happens on March 17th. No, it’s not St. Patrick’s Day. This celebration in all American! It’s the day America won our first battle of the American Revolution! A huge reason to celebrate!

EVACUATION DAY

Memorial Day: The American holiday has been a little lost over the years but it was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers. Worth looking it up and seeing why we have this holiday. Every city has celebrations. Check with your local National Cemetery for some near you. The ideas of how to celebrate are varied but finding out why we celebrate may change how you currently celebrate. Way more than backyard BBQ. It’s an American original.

Usher in strawberry season with amazing patriotic masterpieces: I love it when a food goes All American! These gems are no exception! These are made with white chocolate and blue sugar. Need healthier ideas? We use sour cream on ours. Either way it’s a great way to celebrate the spring return of the American strawberry!

Teach your family The Pledge of Allegiance, The Star Spangled Banner or the American’s Creed: so everyone is ready at at their American best to celebrate Independence Day. (all of these are star spangled spectacular ideas)

Attend opening day of baseball season: Celebrate the All American pastime, right? Perfect way to celebrate an All American Spring…probably need a hot dog too…burgers and dogs..both good ideas… both ultra American…LOL

Celebrate like the Ancestors

Plant something like an herb garden: Many tribes as well as colonists planted gardens and early spring. If you don’t have a yard, consider a windowsill garden. Honor the ancestors AND get something yummy out of the deal. win win.

Have a picnic in the park: Picnic ideas come from an originally a 17th Century French word, picque-nique. Picnics really came into vogue about a hundred years later. It was a favorite leisure past time of the aristocracy. They became an American staple and an ideal way to celebrate spring!

MAKE BUTTER THE OLD FASHIONED WAY FOR YOUR PICNIC

Visit a farm to see the baby farm animals: Always a favorite spring field trip in This Family…celebrate new life!!! we like to see all the babies all fuzzy and stumbly and new.

Fly a kite: There is a reason for the Mary Poppins song. Like the pick nick, back in the days before cell phones and iPads, it was the American thing to do and for sure one of the go to ideas to celebrate spring.

Dye eggs like the Dutch settlers: Celebrate this spring tradition using spinach, beet, and tree bark. Lots of dye ideas! It’s not quite the same as PAAS but this American tradition is natural and fun.

Things to do in March

Hunt for four leaf clovers: We occasionally do leprechaun traps as well. Good green fun for the spring and usually a few pieces of ‘gold‘ turn up

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day and Irish American Month: On St. P’s Day EVERYONE is Irish, at least here in the states! The Irish have a big part in American history and our traditions are pretty different than how they celebrate in Ireland. But there are so many ideas to celebrate this spring holiday. Check local papers and websites for going ons. For sure part of an All American Spring.

BEST PLACES TO CELEBRATE THE IRISH IN AMERICA

Wear green: There is a long standing Irish tradition of Wearing O’ The Green. Plus it’s a great ‘Yay Spring!’ color too.

Celebrate National Women’s History Month: This is becoming a more celebrated month of recognition with book readings, films, seminars, and more. Loads of ideas! Nice to see more stories being shared to give a more robust look at American history.

WOMEN HEROES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

QUOTES FROM ONE OF MY FAVE OVERLOOKED WOMEN IN HISTORY

Things to do in April

Play a joke on April Fools Day: Good clean fun. Here’s some inspiration. Cracked myself up looking at this. Have to get it for my ten year old.

Wear rabbit ears: on your head and on your car. Why should reindeer have all the fun? 1000% sure we Americans invented decorating our cars (and ourselves) for Easter. We have egg-cellent ideas like that. LOL

Celebrate and learn about: Easter or Passover or Ostara or Spring Equinox. Even if you don’t celebrate, learn what someone else does. Connecting with others is always in style and very American.

Visit the Easter Bunny: Honestly, mall bunnies terrify me. I’d opt for a visit to the pet store to pet real bunnies instead but either way, it’s a story to tell. 😉

Decorate Easter eggs: We love our holidays and this is no egg-ception! Honestly, watching all the pretty colors go into the sink and down the drain is pretty fun too… so many great ideas for how to dye eggs these days. Very creative!

Do an egg hunt: Inside or outside, this is always SO MUCH FUN and the Easter Bunny never seems to run out of ideas! We even did an escape room in our home one year. The girls had to find their Easter Baskets by escaping the living room. It was pretty great.

Celebrate Earth Day: So many local celebrations and spring things to do. Earth Day is becoming a very American holiday and your local paper will have ideas and happenings.

Say something nice on Siblings Day: I know it’s hard. Do it anyways.

Watch the Easter Beagle: It’s a classic and would not be an All American Spring without it. Plus watching Snoopy celebrate with the bunnies is just plain adorable.

Things to do in May

Celebrate Mother’s Day: She brought you into this world…

Talk with your Grandmother (or someone else’s): They are moms too and hold so much wisdom, just because they’ve been around longer than us…

CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE WITH YOUR GRANDMOTHER

Do a May Pole: Interesting history behind this one. This isn’t American but it was celebrated in early America. Like most ideas, it morphed with the times. A unique way to celebrate!

Honor Memorial Day: Like mentioned before, it’s supposed to be more than an ‘extra day off’ or opening of BBQ season. Important to our overall American culture to take the time to sleuth out an event, attend, and teach our kiddos (and remind ourselves) what it took to get where we are today.

LEARN OTHER AMERICAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

Be a Kid

Jump in puddles: It’s free, it’s fun, it’s wet. AND your mom can’t tell you to stop it because you are an adult. How American is THAT?! Just have a towel and some dry shoes and socks when you are finished. Mom will be proud.

Play in the mud: Right up there with jumping in puddles. Same comments apply.

Blow bubbles: Because who doesn’t love bubbles?? They are magic! And now that the weather is warmer, you can! Not just the little bubbles from the drug store, go for the GIANT ones!!!

Climb a tree: Again, free, easy, fun. I love all these ideas! Getting grubby was always the best way to celebrate playing outside again!

Swing: from a branch, from a jungle gym, a swing set, a porch swing. It’s pretty much a perfect thing to do…swing in spring…

Feed ducks: They are likely hungry and there will be cute little fluffy fuzzball ducklings to melt your heart

Skip stones across a lake: Remember looking for the perfect rock? Contests for who could get the most skips? George Washington supposedly did it across the Potomac…pretty sure that’s American legend but still it’s a good story and a fun way to celebrate the spring thaw.

Dance in the rain: because

Get a really great umbrella and goulashes: I like the old fashioned plastic ones like I had when I was a kid. (umbrella and goulashes)

Play leap frog: so much better then duck duck goose

Draw on the sidewalk with chalk: This is the best time of year to do it because you don’t have to clean it up! The rain will!!!

Build a fairy house: Oh and there is a great book to go with this activity AND did you know there is a whole island dedicated to this?? All the info is in the book. GREAT FAMILY TRIP!

Be Nostalgic

Visit a farmers’ market: fresh fruits and veggies in season!

Eat fresh: spring fruit and veggies. So many to pick from!!!

Pick strawberries: There are a couple Native American legends about the first strawberries. I know two stories. Here’s One. How about having strawberries at dinner and telling the story?

Host a garden tea party: For kids, for adults, for everyone! It was the thing to do in the 1700’s, in the 1800’s, even in the early 1900’s. Dress up optional. We have a GREAT Store for Historical Costumes set up for you to peruse.

Modern American Things to do

Plan Spring Break Vacation: Us Americans love to plan! You’ll find the planner I am currently using and love HERE (planning in general…very American)

Go on Spring Break Vacation: Pretty sure we (American) invented this tradition.

Eat Peeps and jellybeans: President Ronald Reagan loved his jellybeans so eat them and feel patriotic! My mom loves peeps so had to include these treasures too. celebrate with sugar overload… pretty sure that’s American too.. LOL

Spring clean a closet, a room, a house: So not my favorite All American Spring tradition BUT I do love it when it smells good and the accumulated junk is gone so….just some ideas…it COULD justify all the sugar mentioned above?

Celebrate May 4th: like a true Star Wars Fan…May the 4th be with you… I’m more of a Harry Potter Girl myself but it’s a thing and my husband looks forward to it every year.

Welcome Spring to the Environment

Build a birdhouse: They will love it!

Pick up litter: Like giving the park or the neighborhood a little hug

Plant a butterfly bush: Butterfly populations are on the decline. Give them a little place to rest and eat. Every little bit helps.

Scatter wildflower seeds along roadways: Don’t you love driving and seeing wildflowers along the road? It’s cheap and easy and it’s pretty 🙂

Witness Spring

This section is just full of ideas to sit quietly and bear witness to the world waking up. No explanations needed. Just be quiet, unplug, and be a part of things, even if just for a moment… John Muir (whose birthday is in spring) is smiling. Quiet ideas….

Listen to the rain

Watch bumblebees

Watch a tree over time as it buds and blooms and wakes up

Listen to birds or bird watch

Look for rainbows

Let the sun warm your face

Open your windows and let the spring air freshen everything

Stop and actually smell the flowers

Flower Power

Much like the last section these are free things to do that just helps invite the joy that is spring into all corners of our modern American lives. Celebrate!!

Decorate with spring flowers

Press flowers and make a craft with them

Put edible flowers on a salad

Plant flowers or bulbs

Scatter wildflower seeds along roads and highways (yeah I put it in here twice because I think it’s such a cool idea!)

Wear flowers in your hair or make a flower crown

Make wishes on dandelions

Dry flowers

Final Notes

So many ways to celebrate an All American Spring! Which ideas are new to you? What ideas did you not realize were American? What will you celebrate this spring? Tell us in the comments below!

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Be sure to check out other ways to celebrate American holidays and traditions all year long!