Hello, mammas!

It is April in SoCal and I have to admit that this is one of my favorite times of the year!

If you are thinking about what to do for a staycation as spring break approaches or are just wanting some fun activities to celebrate the spring, I have made up a list of some of my family’s favorite activities and places to go during this very special time of year. 

Here are 31 Things to Do in April to welcome in the California spring!

At Home…

1. Start a rooftop or balcony garden.  I have a blog post on this coming soon!
2. Turn your home/apartment/condo more pollinator friendly!
3. Make strawberry shortcake!  One of my favorite recipes is here. 
4. Learn to make homemade egg dyes just in time for Easter!
5. Whip up some homemade ice cream right in your kitchen!
6. Help your child make a DIY bird feeder and learn about common backyard birds in southern California. 
7. Work your way through a summer reading list for kids.
8. If you have the room, plan backyard camping activities. 
9. Stay hydrated as the weather warms up with these kid-friendly drinks. 
10. Get creative with these fun at-home art projects.

In The Great Outdoors…

11. Take the Wildflower Trail at the Diamond Valley Lake
12. Explore Escondido Canyon and Falls; April is one of the best months for wildflowers and the 200-foot waterfall is spectacular all year round!
13. If you haven’t done so already, check out Griffith Park.  This park has something for everyone: the Hollywood Sign, the Griffith Observatory, pony rides and the LA Zoo!
14. Go whale watching at Newport Landing. 
15. Check out the Cherry Blossom Festival in Barnes Park at the end of the month.
16. Ride a swan boat in Echo Park. 
17. Check out the LA Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion
18. Let your kids explore the Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden on the UCLA Campus. This garden has a number of scheduled K-12 Field Trips. 
19. Take a trip through the old American West at Pioneertown.
20. Visit the Knotts Berry Farm for their Boysenberry Festival, which runs through the end of April. 
21. Explore tide pools at the Leo Carrillo State Park.
22. Share a family movie at the Electric Dusk Drive-In; you can sit in your car or bring lawn chairs!
23. Get out for a day of action packed fun at the Huntington Beach Adventure Playground, which features a mudslide, a rope bridge, tree forts and inner tubing.

…and the Great Indoors!

24. Visit the California Science Center, considered to be one of the best kid-friendly museums in LA!
25. For the dinosaur-lover in your life, consider a trip to the La Brea Tar Pits. 
26. Take your child to the Discovery Cube for some really cool interactive exhibits and activities. 
27.  Explore underwater wildlife at the Aquarium of the Pacific. 
28. Fun for the whole family and anyone who is a movie buff is the Hollywood Museum. 
29. The Santa Monica Public Library features wonderful (and separate!) sections for children and for young adults/teens and their main feature is a courtyard with a stream running through it and a cafe featuring ice cream and smoothies.  There is an active family events calendar as well. 
30. Do a scavenger hunt at the Broad Art Museum. 
31. Love on cats, dogs and rabbits at the Annenberg PetSpace.