Signs of the Times: Bluebonnets in Bloom

Soon, your social media feeds will be filled with photos of friends and family members enjoying the blooming bluebonnets. When you have kids in Houston, it is expected that you will take these beautiful, yearly pictures. Whether in special outfits or everyday clothes, and on a full day’s drive or just a quick trip to a patch of flowers on the side of the road, the preparation has begun. Bluebonnet sightings generally last from March to mid-April. The purplish-blue colored bonnet-shaped flowers are easy to spot and are sometimes accompanied by orange flowers called Indian paintbrushes.

Brothers Knox and Zane Feinman cuddle for the camera.

Andrea Feinman grew up in Houston and makes sure to take annual bluebonnet photos of sons Zane, in kindergarten, and preschooler Knox, age three. “It's our Texas spring tradition,” she shares. “My sister scouts the locations, and always comes with us to help get the boys to smile.” Last year, they took their photos on the side of Memorial Parkway at Jackson Hill. Since Andrea’s sister, Stacy Greer, recently became a mom herself, they are excited to get photos of all three cousins together. 

Rebecca Lindenbaum moved to Houston three years ago but hasn’t been able to partake in this Texas tradition yet. She is determined to make this the year. Her kids, Jonah, three, and Lily, one, love to play outside, and she can’t wait to get adorable photos of them with these noteworthy blooms. Rebecca has her eye on a nice patch of bluebonnets in West U (Weslayan and Byron), in case they don’t make it out of town. 

Photo booths are so popular these days with their props and signs, so I thought it would be fun to create some “Insta-worthy” signs for kids to hold up in their bluebonnet pictures. These are easy to make on scrap pieces of cardboard or paper, using alphabet stickers, cut-out magazine letters, handwriting or computer printing. Other decorative stickers or drawings can be added as well. It is fun to stick to a blue theme. 

Materials

• Cardstock/cardboard/paper
• Letter stickers/magazine pages
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Decorative stickers 
• Markers

Directions 
Write a blue-themed message, or even just a child’s name and age on the sign, using stickers, other letters or markers, or by printing them out. Let your kids decorate the signs with stickers or their own drawings. 

Jonah Lindenbaum checking out what little sister Lily is up to.

Blue message ideas:

• Go Blue!
• Got blue?
• How Bluetiful!
• Feeling Blue
• How do you blue?

Find some bluebonnets, hold up the sign, say “cheese” and start snapping cute pics!

Editor’s Note: Find more bluebonnet inspiration in last year’s Buzz Baby.