It is getting to be a beautiful time of the year. More days are nice than are cloudy and cold. The flowers are peeking out everywhere and new ones come up each day. Even the trees are beautiful in their vivid greens and many times beautiful flowers.

So what are you doing inside?

This is the time of year to introduce your child, no matter what his age, to Mother Nature. Children of all ages can enjoy working beside you as you seek to make things look as beautiful as possible.

Few yards are without weeds. Teach your child about how a weeder works. If the ground is a little soft, even a young child can help get weeds out of the ground. While you work, talk about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Let him know that if you don’t take the weeds out, they take over the area.

Talk about how the plants will be growing in the coming month and how you want things to look nice. Wherever you can, have him do part of the work.

Working together probably will not save you any time when you work with a young child. But remember, you are teaching him for the future. If you don’t begin now, he won’t be able to do this on his own in the years to come.

See if you can find some additional plants that the two of you can plant. If you plant a tree now, you can make it his tree. Then year after year you can see how “his tree” is growing. Maybe he can be the one who waters the tree each week.

Take a drive and talk. Pay attention to the signs, the new houses, the road construction, and of course, to all the beautiful changes in nature that are happening right now. This too might help him get excited about making your yard prettier than ever. Even if you don’t have a yard, take the time to talk about the beautiful yards you do see. Heaven only knows he spends enough time behind a screen.

This might just help to balance out some of that. Besides appreciating the beauty, he also learns new words with every discussion you have together.

Every time you are together is a lesson for him. He learns not only about the subject you talk with him but he learns new words and he learns how important you are to him. Every time you are together he is bonding closer with you. If you don’t spend these times together, you will not have the bonding that is so important as you both grow older.

Don’t let him be spending time with computers and televisions and telephones that take away the time you need together to fully appreciate one another and to become bonded. Certainly never forget the importance of talking together as he goes to bed.

This is a great time to remember what you two did together during the day. Be sure to compliment him on the ways he helped you and to let him know how much you love him.

While parents usually are the ones who do bonding, these same lessons go for grandparents, care providers and anyone who genuinely cares for the child. Bonding can occur with many people and the more the better.

So look around and find the tasks and time to become close and important to each other. Sweep off the front porch. Clean out the closet that hasn’t been done in awhile. Take out the kitty litter box. Doesn’t the car need to be washed?

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which publishes newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents.  Reach Martin at pmf@olypen. com or at 681-2250.