The snow is starting melting, temperatures are rising, and flowers are beginning to bloom. Spring is just around the corner, making this the last chance to get your spring marketing and scheduling finalized.

Thankfully, spring comes with a slew of opportunities for parks and recreation organizations to grow their communities, create new programs and build a groundswell of support that can last them through the rest of the year. Keep spring 2016 fresh, with some of our new ideas for parks and recreation activities.

Gardening

With the arrival of spring comes the time to put that green thumb to use. There are tons of tasks to do in your community gardens, from clearing drainage ditches and repairing any bowed sides of beds, to weeding, top dressing beds, and more. Early spring vegetables are awesome to plant at this time, as well as many seasonal flower bulbs. It’s a great point in the year to get kids and adults into gardening.

Hosting educational workshops can be effective at getting young people active and nurturing their nature side. Running webinars through your organization’s website can be a first step in getting the more technologically minded outdoors and to your workshops, after you entice them with great content. This kind of marketing can also help you build stronger relationships with guest speakers in and around your community. For more info on bringing our the burgeoning botanists in your community, check out Eartheasy’s article on garden projects for early spring. Want to learn how to get a community garden grant to build one in your park? Check out the NRPA’s article on how to do just that.

Easter

Easter is a big one for most parks and recreation organizations. That being said, it can be difficult to find new, interesting and unique ideas for celebrating it. For kids, there are the typical egg races, treasure hunts and decorating stations; however, these can get a little repetitive, if you’re relying on them year after year. Instead of repeating only these activities, do something new. How about capture the egg, instead of capture the flag? It’s a fun game for all ages that can get incredibly competitive.

Another great idea is egg roulette. Have about 1 raw egg to 5 boiled eggs per pair of people. There are many variations and it will really depend on the crowd and the facilities. One option is to smash the egg on the top of your own head, obviously with the loser being the one who gets the raw egg. If you don’t have space to clean that off, have the players squeeze it hard in their hands. You’ll probably need prizes, to spice that variation up a bit.

Cinco de Mayo

A fun way you can celebrate this day is to host cooking classes at your community centers that are Mexican-themed. While it might seem a bit easier to go the Tex-Mex route, trying keeping it more traditional. Do some research to figure out how to cook somewhat authentic Mexicandishes. The easiest and most recognizable option will be tacos (but not the hard shelled, ground beef versions). Do you have someone with who is fluent with Mexican culture/cuisine? If you don’t, see if it’s feasible to bring in a cook who is to teach the class. Here are 21 mouthwatering taco recipes for you to get the ball rolling.

Throughout spring, make it your goal to engage with your students. Here are 5 ways to use technology to do that.