Bring Nature Indoors

Longing for some springtime? Here's some ways to fake it!

• Forcing shrubs
  Cut branches of spring-blooming shrubs like lilacs, quince and forcythia. Bring them inside and put them in a vase of warm water, and within a week or two you'll have blooming bushes inside! Two helpful hints-- soak branches overnight in a warm tub to further speed things along, and also consider smashing the cut ends with a hammer (talk about a job older kids would love) to help stems soak up even more water.
  
  
• Blooming bulbs
  Pick up a pot of potted spring bloomers at your local grocery or discount store. It's such a worthy investment! I especially recommend hyacinths for scents that will fill a house with fragrance. They last surprisingly long (get them before they're fully opened, preferably with buds of all different ages for the longest bloom time) and in the spring you and the kids can plant them for next year.
  
  
• Grow some sprouts
  You can grow sprouts cheaply and easily, and in just a couple of days you have a fun, healthy treat. Kids will love eating their own little gardens. Make sure you buy seeds that are organically grown for sprouting, since otherwise there is a small risk of salmonella. Otherwise, cooking the sprouts will eliminate the risk as well. One source that looks good (I haven't tried them yet) is sproutopia.com.
  
  
• Start a garden
  Why not start some seeds indoors for a garden? You can use containers like egg cartons and styrofoam trays to save money. Use potting soil instead of garden dirt though. The little seedlings need those extra nutrients. Seed packets will have sowing instructions and timelines (6 weeks before the last frost is a good guideline for when to plant). Tomatoes and marigolds are two easy winners.
  
  
• Grow grass
  Why not?! It's great fun to fill shallow containers with a little soil and some grass seed and watch it take off. Kids can even give it a trim with the scissors! Rebecca's Garden has some easy advice for how to do it.

Happy spring!


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