More Winter Activities

 

Here are some more favourite outdoor winter fun activities:

• Build and decorate a snowman – radish eyes, carrot nose, scarf, hat, and buttons.  Be sure to include the children’s ideas.
• Let the children throw snowballs at a target set up outside.
• To test the children’s balance, make tracks in the snow such as a straight line, a zig-zag line, a circle, square, etc.
• Using old spray bottles filled with coloured water, let the children make pictures in the snow.
• Examine snowflakes with a magnifying glass.
• Cover a piece of cardboard with felt, and place the cardboard in the freezer.  Go outside, and let the snowflakes land on the board (they will last longer for examination).
• On a winter walk, have the children watch and listen for the sights and sounds of winter.  For example, the trees are bare, people wear warm clothes, the days are shorter, boots crunching in the snow, listen to the wind howling.

Toy Report – SNOW

 

Snow is an almost magical substance for a child.  Like sand, it can be moved around, formed into shapes or decorated.  Borrow the gardening tools from the toy lending library – the rake and hoe can make interesting patterns in the snow, and the shovel is great for moving snow form one place to another.  Buckets or old ice-cream containers are handy to help make snow forts or designs.  Decorate with leaves, twigs or chunks of snow.  Playing outside in the snow gives a child fresh air and exercise plus lots of fun!

Winter Indoor Activities

 

For those days that the weather makes it impossible to play outdoors:

 

·        Use white chalk and dark construction paper to make snow drawings.

·        Cut sponges into various winter shapes – mittens, snowmen, snowflakes, fir trees.  The children can use the sponges as a tool to print on construction paper.

·        Cut winter pictures from magazines.  Attach the pictures with string or yarn to a branch or paper plate to make a winter mobile.

·        Older children may wish to make a book about winter.  They may find pictures in magazines or use their own creations.  The pages may be in the shape of a snowman or evergreen tree to add interest and creativity.  Some suggested titles might be:

®       What I wear in winter

®       What I like to do outside

®       What I like to do inside

®       My favourite foods in winter

®       My favourite thing about winter

Winter Fun

 

Snow Painting

Using spray bottles filled with water, add a few drops of food colouring or washable tempera powder paint.  To prevent wet mittens, cover your child’s mitts with rubber dishwashing gloves; then let him/her loose on the white and frosty “canvas”.

 

Outside Obstacle Course

To burn off the energy accumulated through confinement inside, create an outside obstacle course by setting out hula-hoops, boxes, toboggans and snow walls to climb over, through and around.  Make a snow slide by piling up a large hill of snow, packing it well, and creating a groove to slide down.  Steps can be added for little ones to climb up the opposite side.  Add more slides to other sides of the hill.

 

Ice Sun Catcher

Make an ice sun catcher by filling a pie plate with water and adding some birdseed, leaves, twigs, nuts, berries and other natural items.  Let freeze outside or in the freezer until solid.  Take the ice disk out of the pan, hang it in a tree and watch it sparkle and dance in the wind.

 

Ice Bubbles

Did you know that playing with bubble solution outside during frigid weather can be incredible fun?  Blow a bubble, catch it on your wand, and watch as it turns into a crystal ball which will then shatter like glass – but without any danger to children mind you.  Try placing blown bubbles on top of a snow sculpture to decorate.

 

Snow Castle

Whenever you get a dumping of snow which packs well, make sure that you create a snow castle by rolling snow balls and stacking them on top of one another to create walls, chairs, tables, and doorways.  Children can create shelves and cubby holes or windows by scraping away snow from the walls.  To complete the picture, don’t forget a snow carriage drawn by horses to ride.  WARNING: Danger.  Do not let children make snow tunnels.  They may collapse and suffocate children.

 

Snow Lantern

Make a snow lantern to light up the front walk.  Fill a large coffee or juice can one quarter full with water and set out to freeze.  Once that is done, place a smaller can in the middle of the large can and weight it down with stones or coins to keep it in position.  Add more water to the large can until in almost reaches the top of the smaller one.  Freeze solid, then remove the weights, and put warm water to loosen and remove it.  Briefly place the larger can in warm water to remove it.  Put a votive candle inside the ice lantern to add sparkle to your entry.