Winter Activities For Kids

Okay, so it is officially the middle of winter and I don't know about you, but these natives are getting a little restless, so I have come up with some fun ideas to do with Jonathan in the deep of winter to keep us both from losing our minds! While the new sled Jonathan got for Christmas has kept him entertained, we decided to broaden our horizons a little. Here's what I came up with...



Snow Painting


This is an easy and cheap form of entertainment. Simply find some squirt bottles you might have around the house i.e. workout bottles or old dish detergent bottles. Fill them up with cold water (warm water will just melt the snow) and add some food coloring. Open the doors to outside and let your little Picasso squirt his heart out on the snow to create works of art! We used the back yard...just in case our neighbors were not so fond of my budding artist.

Building A Milk Jug Igloo

Okay, so this is a little bigger activity to tackle, but after seeing one, I decided we simply have to try it! A friend of mine is a preschool teacher and she does this with her class every year and it is quite impressive!

We are in the process of collecting our milk jugs for this project. Luckily the one thing I have been craving with this pregnancy is milk, so hopefully we will have enough gathered to build a small igloo before the winter is over.

If you would like to attempt this project, here are a few tips:

-make sure to clean out the jugs, there is nothing like the smell of sour milk! Even after cleaning them, you might want to keep the caps on to ensure no odor leaks! And it adds a little bit of flair!

-Use a HIGH temp glue gun. This is important, because if you use a regular glue gun, your jugs will not stick as nicely and all of your hard will will topple into a pile of jugs.

-Get friends and neighbors in on the art of collecting those milk jugs...it will take about 100 jugs to make the size igloo pictured above. You can get away with using less though if you are only building it for a single child. Although the sky is the limit, if you build it, they will play!

-Create a foundation first by simply placing jugs in a semi-circle the size you want your igloo to be.

-Placing a yard stick in the opening for the door may help your igloo keep its shape until you have it built. Simply remove it when you are done!

Snow Shoeing

Something I haven't tried, but have been interested in, is snowshoeing. Our local parks department has a wonderful program that allows you to rent shoes for just $3. They even give you a lesson on how to put them on and how to walk in the them. Since all you have to do is walk, this is an easy way for the family to get some exercise in a fun new way, and to see some great scenery! Check with you local parks department to see what else they might have to offer!