In the U.S., February 2nd is Groundhog Day. On this day, we say that a groundhog (in the squirrel family) comes out of his home. The groundhog is supposed to predict (say something before it happens) an early spring. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, spring will come early. Whether or not (it doesn’t matter if) the groundhog saw his shadow, spring is coming! This week, we decided to look at some vocabulary for spring.
Spring is a beautiful time of year. The weather can still be rainy and cold, but sometimes it’s warm and feels like summer. Flowers bloom (open) in spring. Animals come out of hibernation (sleeping through the winter). And people start to look a little happier, too. Think sunny thoughts this week with some vocabulary for spring.
To bloom
One of my favorite parts of spring are the flowers. Since all different kinds of flowers start to bloom, or open up, the world becomes much more colorful. Blooming flowers can be found everywhere in the spring. On trees, in fields, and in parks. What’s your favorite kind of flower that blooms in spring?
For example:
- I’ve always wanted to go to the Netherlands to see the tulips bloom in spring.
- My hometown has a celebration each year when the apple trees bloom.
Pollen
Along with blooming flowers comes pollen. Pollen helps flowers grow. Pollen is the yellow powder that you see on cars in the springtime. Some people (like me) don’t like pollen because they are allergic to it. This means that it makes their eyes itch (tingle, hurt, water) and they sneeze a lot. Are you allergic to pollen?
For example:
- She took her car to the carwash because it was covered in pollen.
- We took a walk in the forest. You could see the pollen floating in the air!
Spring clean
You may hear people talking about a spring clean, or spring cleaning, as spring gets closer. A spring clean is when you clean your house when the months start to get warmer. It helps you feel like you’re starting fresh!
Some people clean out their whole house during a spring clean. They get rid of (throw away) old things that they don’t need anymore. Others will just clean their house from top to bottom. If you haven’t done a spring clean before, I recommend it! It makes everything feel fresh and new.
For example:
- I did my spring cleaning on Sunday. My house looks great! It really needed to be cleaned.
- He donated (gave) a lot of clothes to charity that he cleaned out during his spring clean.
Spring fever
At the end of winter, do you ever feel like you have to get outside? You’re tired of being cold. You have a lot of energy. You want to be anywhere else but inside your house. This is what we call spring fever!
When the days get longer and the weather starts to warm up, some people get a burst of energy and want to be outdoors. They’re tired of it being cold and want to be more active. It’s perfectly normal, if it happens to you. Do you ever get spring fever?
For example:
- My spring fever got really bad this weekend, so I went on a short hike in the snow!
- She was tired of being inside and of the weather being cold. Her mother told her to go outside and play, and that she just had spring fever.
Seedling
Do you like to work in your garden? Do you plant herbs or flowers? Have you ever tried to grow something in your garden from a seed?
If you have, then you have worked with seedlings. A seedling is a very, very small plant that comes out from a seed. They’re very small and very delicate. They can be hard to grow, but when you manage it (it works), it’s very satisfying!
For example:
- She overwatered her seedlings and they all died.
- He grew that tomato plant from a seedling, and now it’s huge. He’s very proud of it!
Do you like the springtime? Do you know any more vocabulary for spring? Share with us in the comments below!
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Check out these other popular blogs: Dating Vocabulary in English, Why You Could Use a Bespeaking Proofreader, Italian Loan Words in English, or these 5 Great Antonyms in English!
Erin Duffin lives in Hamburg, is an English teacher, blogger, yoga instructor, and loves growing seedlings in her garden. It’s a great time of year to make use of vocabulary for spring!
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