April 29, 2026 | Belen Ponce Leal | Lifestyle Editor
Spring is a season that is undeniably bright and colorful, a breath of fresh air in comparison to the previous season of darkness, also called winter. The blooming environment makes it perfect to find reasons to leave the dorm room and head outdoors. In the spirit of the season, here are some fun activities that are on my spring bucket list this year.
A picnic — This is probably one of the most cliche things to do during the spring, but honestly is a very fun activity. When I was younger, my mom would occasionally plan out a large picnic day for our family at a park that was roughly 15 minutes away. We would have sandwiches, fruit plates, bags of chips and various drinks. Then, we’d play around for a while with some frisbees and, on occasion, a volleyball. So, I would definitely recommend having a picnic during this warm weather when possible. Be advised though that flies and possibly bees may be interested in the food, so prepare for battle with some bug spray just in case.
Rock painting — As someone who used to collect rocks growing up, I am very passionate about this option. It’s a very simple activity, yet very colorful and creative. Rocks are typically abundant, free to whoever finds them and are a very nice alternative to a blank canvas. Paint can also be pretty inexpensive to get, such as at a local dollar store or at certain libraries. Painting is always fun to do and there isn’t really a limit to what kind of designs can be painted onto a rock. Some ideas that I can think of include but are not limited to floral designs, cartoon characters, fruits, bugs and the list goes on.
Flower arrangements — As spring is the season that allows the flowers to bloom, what better time to try a hand at creating some beautiful flower arrangements? This activity is an art form that focuses on arranging not just flowers, but also the foliage and plants into vases in a way that makes them have a pleasing appearance. Those who are professionals at this art put a lot of work into ensuring that the color, shape, structure and balance of the bouquet is satisfactory for whatever occasion it’s being made for. Something that I find personally interesting is that a lot of flowers have different meanings attached to them. Most know that the red rose is the flower of love. However, that’s not the only flower with a sentimental meaning attached to it. There’s also the edelweiss flower, which is a symbol for loyalty, or the hyssop flower, which is believed to represent sacrifice. There are entire pages giving various meanings to thousands of flowers, so whether a person wants to make a bouquet displaying their love or create an arrangement that expresses their anger, flower arrangements may be a good thing to try out.
Berry picking — The saying that says something along the lines of “growing your own food tastes better than buying it at the store” was pretty accurate in my own experience. When I was a kid, there were a few strawberry plants that grew in our yard. The fruit that grew on them was tiny, but delicious. To this day, they were the best strawberries that I’ve had and I’ve eaten a lot of them. Yet, it was the act of picking them off the plant that was really fun to me. There’s something so satisfying about physically going out and picking fruit that just scratches the brain in a way that feels good. However, if someone kills every plant they try to grow like I do, there are a couple of local berry farms in the area. There’s Perryhill Farm in Dallas, Blueberry Meadows in Corvallis and Smith Berry Barn in Hillsboro.
I’m not typically a person who enjoys going out very much. I personally prefer to be a happy homebody. However, I have been more open to trying new things recently and I strongly encourage anyone else who is shy or hesitant to do at least one of these activities this spring.
Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu
