The clocks have gone forward. What do you do with the extra evening light?
Have you ever put your winter coat away too early? What happened next?
It rains all weekend in April. What is your plan?
What do you do on the first day warm enough to leave your coat at home?
What is the first meal you eat outside once the weather turns?
What is the first sign of spring on your street?
What is your rule for deciding it is warm enough for short sleeves?
When did you last splash through a puddle on purpose?
Which bird, animal or insect tells you winter is really over?
Which window at home gets opened first when the cold finally lets go?
Gardens and growing 9
Have you ever grown something from a seed? How did it turn out?
If you planted one thing this spring, what would it be?
Is there a tree near you that you check for blossom every year?
One window box to fill: herbs, flowers or tomatoes?
Tulips, daffodils or cherry blossom: which one means spring to you?
What would you plant this spring if nothing you planted could die?
Which flower do you notice first every spring?
Which would you stop to watch: lambs, ducklings or a bird building a nest?
Who is the keenest gardener you know, and what do they grow?
Spring cleaning 9
Do you pack your sweaters away for spring, or does everything share one closet?
Spring cleaning soundtrack: loud music, a podcast or total silence?
Washing windows, clearing gutters or sorting the garage: which do you pick?
What did you find the last time you cleaned behind the sofa?
What in your home has not been touched since last spring?
What would a spring clean of your phone get rid of first?
Where would you start a spring clean at home?
Which drawer, shelf or closet of yours needs a spring clean the most?
Which outdoor job do you look forward to once the ground thaws?
Spring at work 12
It is 70 degrees and sunny at 3 pm on a workday. What are you thinking about?
The Monday after the clocks go forward: fine, foggy or running late?
Rainy spring commute: umbrella, hood or a sprint from the door?
Spring at your desk: window open, fresh flowers or no change at all?
What is one work habit you would like to plant this spring and watch grow?
What on your desk would not survive a spring clean?
What would you spring clean out of your work calendar?
Where do you eat lunch on the first warm workday of the year?
Which folder on your computer needs a spring clean first?
Which meeting would you move outdoors on the first warm day?
Which project of yours is closest to blooming?
Your spring jacket at work: on the chair, on a hook or lost by Friday?
St Patrick's Day 15
A shamrock has three leaves. What three things make a good day for you?
Are you wearing any green right now? Point to it.
Green on March 17: head to toe, one small touch or not at all?
Have you ever found a four-leaf clover?
Have you ever watched a St Patrick's Day parade in person? What do you remember?
Ireland is called the Emerald Isle. What nickname would you give where you live?
Irish music starts up: do you tap a foot, clap along or get up and dance?A céilí is a social gathering with Gaelic folk music and dancing.
March 17 belongs to green. Which color would you give your own birthday?
What is the greenest thing you own?
What small stroke of luck have you had so far this March?
What would you dye green for one day if it washed out by morning?
What would you put on a St Patrick's Day parade float for your street?
What would you want at the end of a rainbow in place of a pot of gold?
Which building near you would look good lit up green for one night?Landmarks around the world have been lit green for the day since 2010.
Which food is fine dyed green for a day, and which should never be?
Multiple choice 5
April showers: cozy or annoying?
Birds singing at 5 am in spring: lovely or too early?
Mud season footwear: old sneakers, proper boots or whatever is by the door?
On April Fools' Day, are you the prankster, the pranked or staying well out of it?
What comes out of storage first in spring: the bike, the grill or the patio chairs?
How it works
Spring icebreaker questions work because everyone has noticed the same things this week: light after work, mud by the door, the first open window. Of these 60 cards, 15 are for St Patrick's Day and 16 multiple choice.
Read the full guide
Match the topic to the calendar
In the week of March 17, press St Patrick's Day: its 15 St Patrick's Day icebreaker questions stay on green clothes, shamrocks, parades, music and luck. When the clocks change or the first warm day arrives, press Warm days and rain. Spring cleaning suits April, and Spring at work points the season at commutes, calendars and desks.
What the March 17 cards draw on
The day is kept with parades, green clothes, shamrocks and céilithe, social gatherings with Gaelic folk music and dancing. The cards use those: "A shamrock has three leaves. What three things make a good day for you?" Another asks which building near you should glow green for a night, as landmarks worldwide have since 2010.
South of the equator, spring means September to November: deal the season topics then and the green cards in March.
With a class, deal "Are you wearing any green right now? Point to it." Everyone answers at once.
Nobody needs a yard for Gardens and growing: "One window box to fill: herbs, flowers or tomatoes?" works from an apartment.
Questions and answers
Why do the spring icebreaker questions have no Easter topic?
Easter moves every year and not everyone keeps it, so the deck leaves out every movable spring festival. St Patrick's Day has a fixed date, and its cards stay on customs anyone can join: wearing green, watching a parade, clapping along to the music.
Do the St Patrick's Day cards mention drinking or leprechauns?
No. None of the 15 cards mentions a drink, which suits a classroom, and none asks anyone to dress as a leprechaun, a costume criticized as a caricature of Irish people. One card borrows the pot of gold at the rainbow's end.
Which cards fit a spring team meeting?
Press Spring at work. Its 12 cards ask what you would spring clean out of your calendar, or which meeting you would move outdoors. Four are multiple choice, such as "The Monday after the clocks go forward: fine, foggy or running late?"