When you were growing up what was your favourite thing you remember doing outside in Spring? Running through the fields with the lambs? Picking daffodils for your grandmother? Lying on your back watching the white fluffy clouds in the glorious blue sky? OK, so maybe that’s a little idealistic but there’s no harm in using your imagination!

1. Set up an obstacle race in the garden using buckets to jump over, skipping ropes, hula-hoops, cones and footballs to get the children jumping and running off the winter blues - why not join in?
2. Hide some treasure in plant pots, the sandpit, up trees and under scooters for little pirates and princesses to discover.
3. Want a more challenging scavenger hunt? Put your spy skills to the test using your sat-nav for a spot of geocaching. There are several public hunts in the area. Can you find the treasure without alerting any passers-by?
4. Get on your bikes and head off in all directions! Cycle paths in and around Harpenden can lead you from Redbourn and Hemel Hempstead over to Wheathampstead and Luton.
5. Find a trowel and start digging. Prepare the garden for all your summer perennials. Children love to dig and giving them a patch of garden for their own experiments will encourage nurturing behaviours and comes with a lot less responsibility than a pet!
6. Bubble Challenges – how many bubbles can you burst with your nose/ears/toes etc. This is not age restrictive!
7. Get out the chalks and start drawing outside. Pirates can “sail” their ships and princesses can wait to be rescued in their castles. Or for a wetter option hand out buckets of water and paint brushes and let them “paint” the house.
8. Find a hill preferably covered in some freshly cut grass, roll down it and soak in the aromas.
9. Head to the ponds – Lydekker Park, Southdown Ponds or Verulamium Park  - and see if you can spot some ducklings and goslings. The new life that is created each year that are nature’s little miracles.
10. Find a wood bursting with bluebells - Heartwood Forest, Highfield Oval, Marshalls Heath – and take a picnic. There is nothing quite like walking through a carpet of beautiful violet, listening to the birds singing and watching the wildlife spring back into action to give everyone a sense of happiness (but do remember to stick to the paths to avoiding damaging the bluebells).

Harpenden and the surrounding area has so much to offer all year round. To find out everything you need to know for your family in Harpenden head to our things to do section.

This article was originally published in 2016.