It doesn’t really feel like we’ve had Winter yet. We had a handful of days where it was frosty or it hailed but for the most part it has been so mild. So we are embracing the start of the new season and decorating our home with some Spring flowers.

We gathered hazel from my Mum’s garden and used it to make a wreath. It was a lovely hour spent in the Spring sunshine. We sat chatting whilst I wound the sticks around each other and he made me cups of ‘hot chocolate’. We’ll decorate this with our Spring finds but I think we might keep it up all year and change it with the seasons.

At dinner time we normally light a candle. We thought it was time to change our Autumn leaf jar for one that represents Spring. It would also make a lovely vase.

We picked primroses from our garden and pressed them, saved for a rainy day. Making the candle holder was very simple – he put blobs of PVA glue on the jar and stuck on the flowers. I then went over the jar with another layer of glue and left to dry. It was lovely to watch him decide where he wanted to put the flowers, not at all how I would have done it but stepping back allowed his developing personality to shine through. It is beautiful and we are reminded of that time spent together in the garden and in our home every time we light it.

We celebrated our precious Earth and thought about ways we could protect it during Earth Hour this month. Dinner, bath and bedtime were all done with only the light from the lantern we made at Forest School -a recycled milk bottle cut in half with a piece stapled to make the handle, some double sided tape and Spring flowers and leaves found in the woods. We’ve enjoyed some sunshine lately and have brought daffodils into our home before planting out in the garden to enjoy next year.

We’ve had a lot of rain too and some coughs and colds to go with it which has meant some slow days. One afternoon we drank rhubarb tea and made a daffodil inspired tissue paper window star. It brings some Spring cheer to our dining room even if the sun isn’t shining. You can find the instructions for making window stars here, I just adapted the colours and sizes.

In the Autumn we made a sun paper print so we thought we’d do the same to celebrate this new season. He collected Spring treasures from around our garden and arranged them on the sun paper (it must not be exposed to the light before this point). He then placed glass over the top as it was a little windy and left it for two minutes. Next it was into some tap water for another minute and then left to develop and dry.

This simple yet effective art is a lovely representation of the first signs of Spring!

As we are out on our walks noticing buds on trees and new shoots springing from the ground or spotting a blackbird collecting items for a nest, it connects us to the rhythm of our world. Spring gives us renewed energy, just as the Earth renews itself each year. We are all connected, to each other and to our planet. Making a place for nature in our homes helps us to feel these long forgotten rhythms once again.