Five Creative Snow Day Ideas
By Jennifer Lindquist
Growing up in Montana, snow days were a myth I read about on the news. Something that happened only once in my thirteen years of primary and secondary schooling. When we first moved to the East coast, I was surprised to get a notification on my phone that school was cancelled due to snow. Now whenever I see snow clouds, I find myself refreshing school browsers and checking the weather status four times a day hoping for a snow day.
My daughter and I love to play in the snow. We love to sled, are learning to ski and of course build snowmen. However, on the fifth snow day of the year, building a snow man can lose some magic.
I have experimented, searched and gotten creative to come up with five things to do in the snow to help snow days keep being a special day.
- Molding Snow
I have found that sand box toys work just as well in the snow as they do in the sand-tupperware containers too. My daughter loves creating snow “cakes” in the backyard (I do too). It is also fun to stack the snow in layers and see how high it can get before it falls (or someone knocks it down).
- Painting Snow
This is my daughter’s favorite thing to do in the snow. They sell snow paints, but we make our own using food coloring and water. It becomes a fun science mixing lesson adding colors and seeing the end result. Once the colors are created-they can be put into squirt or spray bottles for easy application, or brought out in a container with old paint brushes. The paint adheres great to the snow and doesn’t stain clothes or surfaces. This also works great on the snow molds from the previous activity.
- Ice Excavation
If I know the next day is going to be snowy and cold, I will fill bowls with water and place a few fun plastic toys (old or new) in the backyard to freeze. My daughter has so much fun working at unearthing the toys with warm water. Too cold outside? Bring the experiment inside to finish.
- Create a Maze
My daughter loves to create paths in the snow and have me follow exactly in her footsteps. It is great for little ones to follow directions and a fun bonding experience.
- Cook with Snow
Snow ice cream is the BEST. My daughter loves to eat snow plain but adding ingredients and calling it ice-cream is a major parent win. We count steps as we make it, helping with her numbers.
Snow Ice Cream Recipe:
5-6 cups of clean snow
1 cup milk
½ cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Put three cups of snow in large bowl, add milk, sugar, vanilla and mix with spoon. When combined, add 2-3 more cups of snow and mix to taste. If you want a more “solid” tasting ice-cream, place in freezer or back outside for 10-15 minutes.
ENJOY!
Whether you follow these ideas, or make your own fun-I would love to hear how your little ones enjoy the snow. Please post below in the comments.
May all your snow days be magical!
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Jennifer Lindquist graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead MN in 2005 in business and French. She currently acts as Social Media Manager for Sleeping Baby. She is also a photojournalist and has been featured in various newspapers. She has traveled and lived all over the world. She currently lives in New York with her husband, four year old daughter and cat.
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