Spring ActivitiesThat Help Family Relationships Boom.

By, Sheila Catron

Children love flowers, bugs, warm weather, and time with mom and dad. You can see a spark in their young eyes as they observe natural beauty with innocence and interest. Texas highways offer a mural of colors this time of year.

Lady Bird Johnson, wife of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, had fond saying, "Where flowers bloom, so does hope." One of her great accomplishments was promoting the use of wildflowers along the highways of the nation.

Parents should take the opportunity to rediscover nature and enjoy some quality time with their children. Wildflower exploration can bring families closer together and breathe a fresh sense of "hope" into the season.

Try some of these activities below:

Get a wildflower guidebook (specific to your region) and go on a discovery walk. Put a mark by all the flowers that you have identified.

Take art supplies and draw or paint the flowers you see.

Collect wildflowers to make a flower arrangement to use at home.

Use collected flowers later by:
Pressing Flowers in Books- Place flowers between 2 sheets of wax paper to protect the pages of the book. Weigh the book down and wait a week.

Pressed flowers make great decor on mats for framed photos, natural stationary, or a natural arrangement glued to paper and framed...Nature's Art!

Make a wildflower garden in your backyard or a flower box. Children love to garden.

Of course, the most important thing to bring is your camera since there will be some wonderful photo opportunities!

Madeline my daughter loves to complete all the activities noted above.

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Join in the fun and explore with your child!

These photos were taken off the Henrietta exit or Hwy 82 East.