Winter Activities

Winter Activities

Snow Fun for the Family

Snow Painting: Draw a design in the snow with a stick. Then paint your design using squirt bottles filled with colored water (food coloring).

Spy on animals under the moonlight: On a full moon, put out food for the birds and other animals. Put it where you can spy on them from an indoor window. Wait until you hear them rustling about before you spy on them, and make sure there is no light on in the room.

Cast some animal tracks: When you find some animal tracks you'd like to preserve, spray some water on them to get them to ice up. Then make some plaster, take it outside and mix some snow with it to make it cold enough not to melt the snow. Gently poor it over the tracks and let it harden.

Snow Dome: Pile snow in a 10 ft. diameter circle, as high as you can reach and shape it into a dome. Insert foot long sticks into the walls. These will serve as a guide as you dig out the entrance, to make sure you don't accidently bore through to the outside. Add finishing touches to the inside, such as a bench carved into the wall.

Ice tree: If you have a cut tree such as your old Christmas tree, and access to a hose, you can create a magical ice tree. Make sure the tree is stationary, then turn the hose on low with the nozzle at the top. If you are not going to hold the hose, secure it around the base of the tree.

Ice Sculptures: Save your old plastic containers and fill them with water. Place them in the freezer, or outside. Once they have frozen arrange the ice outside and see how long them remain frozen!

Study Snowflakes: Place a sheet of black paper in the freezer for at least 24 hours. When the snow begins to fall, take the paper out of the freezer and catch some snowflakes on it. Look at them with a magnifying glass (quickly before it melts). You'll see more than one shape. Some will resemble doilies, stars or needles.