Ahh, spring.
With apologies to my allergic friends, I can think of few things better than being outside on a breezy spring day. Just watching the leaves fluttering in the wind, listening to the sounds. And feeling the wind in one's hair.
Did you know that wind is created when warmer air and cooler air are "trading places?" (Actually, the gases in the atmosphere are "equalizing pressure") Maybe you know that spring is particularly windy because -at least in our part of the world-we have "warm fronts"--large, long stretches of warmer air replacing cooler air.
Well, anyway. The fun is in watching and experiencing the wind, no?
This week, while you're outside, try these things to help you and your kids really savor the breezes and the moving spring air:
Choose a tree that you love and then lie down under it. Let yourselves be mesmerized by watching the leaves flutter and blow.
Choose a tree that you love and then climb it. Let yourselves be mesmerized by being among the leaves as they flutter and blow.
How else can you watch the wind? Think of water, of seeds traveling on air, of sand moving. Pinwheels! Who doesn't love pinwheels?
Listen to the sounds of wind. Experiment with different things: You may choose to hang a windchime, a crisp flag, or you could even poke a stick through a paper bag and create a windsock. How many sounds can the wind make?
Can you feel the wind on your face, your hair? Close your eyes and turn into the wind. Open your arms.
What words can you use to describe wind? There are gentle winds, whispery winds, fierce winds, growling howling winds, and even, to quote my daughter, "lonely winds"
