Spring equinox vs spring solstice: spring equinox lesson plans (vernal equinox lesson for kids / first day of spring lesson plans printables), free solstice and equinox lesson plans, ideas for Spring STEM activities and more ideas and activities to celebrate Spring with kids!
SPRING EQUINOX ACTIVITIES, LESSONS AND IDEAS FOR FIRST DAY OF SPRING AND BEYOND
Here are some spring equinox facts you can discuss with the kids before getting to spring activities for kids, especially if you’re wondering how do you teach spring! These are great for spring lesson plans for preschoolers and up (school or homeschool spring lessons) and even for children’s church spring lessons!
What do you do in the spring equinox? Spring Equinox Activities For Students
How do you celebrate the spring equinox?
- Read a book and learn more about spring equinox.
- Learn about Spring Solstice vs Spring Equinox (solstice lessons and equinox lessons).
- Learn about the different seasons and discuss why we have seasons.
- Plant some flower seeds. (You can start them indoors!).
- Do some science lessons for spring (Spring STEM).
- Make a spring sensory bin.
- Make a recipe with seasonal spring vegetables or fruits.
- Visit a farm where baby animals were just born.
- Go for a bike ride.
- Go on a signs of spring scavenger hunt.
- Press flowers for a spring art lesson.
- Have a spring solstice celebration.
- Plan a garden to plant later in the year.
- Take a nature hike and look for signs of spring.
- Create a spring bird feeder.
- Make and hide kindness rocks during a spring equinox walk.
- Make some baby chick cupcakes.
- Get organized with spring cleaning!
- Plant a container fairy garden for a Spring craft.
SEE OUR FULL LIST OF SPRING EQUINOX ACTIVITIES AND LESSON PLANS BELOW. KEEP SCROLLING! Great ideas if you’ve been wondering how do you teach equinoxes?
Before we get to the fun Spring activities, let’s take a closer look at the spring equinox definition…
What is the spring equinox explanation for kids?
What is the spring equinox? Spring equinox is when the sun crosses the equator going north. In the northern hemisphere, the sun’s rays are directly over the equator, making it have 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night (an equal amount). It marks the changing of the season to spring. People mistakenly called spring equinox the spring solstice sometimes.
Is there a spring solstice?
There is not a spring solstice, but a spring equinox. The solstices happen in the summer and the winter. However, you will sometimes hear people refer to the spring equinox as the spring solstice.
Spring Solstice Date: When is spring solstice?
When is spring equinox this year? In the Northern Hemisphere, Spring equinox occurs on March 20, 2023.
What is the exact time of the spring equinox?
The spring equinox 2023 will occur at 5:24 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 20th.
What are the 4 equinoxes?
What are the solstices and equinoxes?
What is the difference between solstice and equinox? An equinox happens when the amount of day time is equal to the amount of night time. It happens twice per year — as a spring equinox and a fall equinox. A solstice happens when it is the longest day of the year (summer solstice) and the shortest day of the year (winter solstice). A solstice happens when the sun’s zenith is at the furthest point from the equator.
WHAT IS FALL EQUINOX? (and autumn equinox activities and autumn equinox crafts!)
How many equinoxes are there?
There are two equinoxes and two solstices. The vernal equinox happens in spring and the autumnal equinox happens in fall. During the equinox, the amount of daytime and nighttime are almost equal.
The equinox and solstices are:
- Vernal equinox (spring)
- Autumnal equinox (fall)
- Winter solstice (winter)
- Summer solstice (summer)
Add in the equinoxes and solstices to help kids understand spring and autumn equinox and summer and winter solstices.
What is the beginning of spring called?
What is the spring equinox called? The first day of spring is called the spring equinox. It is also called the March equinox or the vernal equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox is called the vernal equinox.
According to Merriam-Webster:
“Equinox comes from the Latin words aequi, which means equal, and nox, which means night. The vernal equinox is considered the first day of spring: finally, the day and night are of equal length.”
What happens during the spring equinox?
It seems like every year I see parent and homeschooling groups trying the “egg stand up on the equinox” trick and then being amazed.
Let’s learn more about standing up an egg on equinox…
Does an egg stand up on the equinox?
There are claims that during the equinoxes you can stand an egg on end because of the pull of equal gravity toward both the North and South. However, the spring or fall equinox egg balance is actually a myth. You can, however, balance an egg any day of the year with some practice!
Try it!
LISTEN TO A FUNNY KIDS’ PODCAST ABOUT STANDING EGGS ON EQUINOX
You’ll Also Enjoy More STEM Learning Kids Activities:
Full Moon Schedule and 22 Moon Activities for Kids
OK! Let’s get to our activities on spring season!
Spring Equinox (“Spring Solstice”) Activities, Crafts, and Lessons for Kids
Ideas to celebrate spring equinox for kids and spring lesson plans for preschoolers and up!
How do you teach spring?
- Watch a video about equinoxes and solstices
- Read THE THING ABOUT SPRING and do The Thing About Spring lesson plans
- Read a book with a multicultural perspective of spring equinox
- Watch the video Happy Equinox!
- Learn about the earth’s rotation in the roll of equinoxes
- Get solstice and equinox lesson plans (spring equinox lessons for grades 6-8)
- Use the interactive map to learn why we have seasons
- Make your own solar system model to practice seasons
- Make a hand flower craft
- Talk about the egg balancing myth and then try balancing an egg! (Great for science lessons for spring!)
- Try balancing a broom (also a myth that it only works on the equinox)
- Start seedlings indoors to transplant outside or to a container garden later in the season
- Do a lesson plan on the seasons.
- Learn about farm animals (many are born in the spring!)
- Read I Am Spring to learn about what happens during the season
- Grab a free spring poetry writing lesson
- Dye some eggs (eggs are a spring symbol of rebirth!)
Spring Books for Kids for Activities To Celebrate the Spring Equinox with Children
- Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring
- The Reasons For the Seasons
- Plants In Spring
Enjoy your Spring equinox lessons and activities!
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I love the information, I’m a little bummed that its so heavily focused only on the Northern Hemisphere though, its hard to incorporate the likes of Easter chocolates, for example, when celebrating the Southern Hemisphere’s Equinox 🙁 . Even just adding the generalised dates for the Southern Hemisphere would be helpful to others looking to learn (usually sometime around the 20th September, its on 22nd at 11.30 pm if you’re reading this in 2020 btw). I’m not sure when this was written and if it was taken into consideration in similar blog posts. Thanks for sharing either way 🙂
Sammy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to give your input. You’re absolutely right about this and I’m putting this on my list to update for this post. Thanks again for the gentle reminder. I truly appreciate it!