This week we did several fun snow related activities since we received our first significant batch of snow. . and we weren't really going anywhere since it was subzero temperatures. 

PLAYING INDOORS WITH SNOW - SNOW BAKING

We grabbed a few towels and some play kitchen supplies for this activity. Then, I brought in snow and we baked pretend birthday cakes, muffins, and baby food. Both kids played until their fingers were red. We tried mittens but they weren't to Lydia or Miles liking for dexterity reasons. Miles loved just resting his little fingers in the snow and banging all the plastic together. Lydia was very purposeful and "mixed" the snow, placed it from one bowl into the other, and pretended to crack eggs. It's so fun to see the differences in the two of them.

We did this activity several times throughout the week and will probably do it again tomorrow with our new batch of snow. 

WE MADE SNOW CREAM! 

And it was sooo much fun. Lydia was excited to get to eat the snow for the first time. I used the recipe from the pin but decreased the amount of sugar. I didn't think that Lydia and I needed to share 1/4 cup of sugar. 

Here's the recipe I used:

• 4 CUPS SNOW
  
• 1 CUP MILK
  
• 2 TBSP SUGAR
  
• 1 TSP VANILLA

(Just a note: Snow cream from my childhood included a raw egg. . was this true for anyone else?)

SNOW PAINTING ON THE LIGHT TABLE

I wouldn't necessarily call this painting since we basically dumped color from a spoon onto snow/ice . . but its up to your interpretation. Whatever we did it was fun.

I let Lydia pick the two colors we used and of course she picked yellow as one color. So we made yellow snow and blue snow. And then we talked about mixing colors and made some green snow. 

This was fun but not as well received as the pretend play we did with kitchen stuff. In fact, just to get her to do this activity we had to first make two "cakes" of snow and then pretend to be decorating them with the paint. Which she absolutely loved.

Snow is fun indoors or outdoors. With little people the indoor stuff is definitely ideal during these crazy cold temperatures. The main thing is to take advantage of the opportunities you have with snow when its around because it will be gone just as quickly as it came. 

Here are the links to the Pins I used and referenced:

For week 2, I tried a painting idea with the kids. It was obvious from moment one that Miles was too young which was fine. However, an un-napped Lydia wasn't listening like she normally does.

I provided a link to the pinterest pin below. AND I think we will try this again in the future. I mixed the paint too thin and didn't have a good dropper for the vinegar (the fizzy part).

In the end I just put baking soda and food coloring in a glass and poured vinegar in to show the cool volcano effect... and that was good enough for Lydia. Photos didn't happen for this project. Sorry about that.

We also had "hot dog squids" for lunch one day. It was fun and a big hit with Lydia. Miles didn't get to enjoy them in their squid form since he's not quite chewing.

Here are the pins:

Playdough Christmas trees is a super easy and fun afternoon activity. Lydia has enjoyed it on multiple occasions. I had a few ornaments break so I salvaged the sparkly parts for this activity. We cut trees out of green playdough with a tree cookie cutter. Then, Lydia and I decorated them with various sparkly things. The results were so great that I plan to get the photos that I took put on canvases to use as part of my Christmas decor.

Here is what you need:
- 1 can of green Playdough
- 1 Tree cookie cutter
- Whatever hard sparkly items that you want to use 
- Items that might make textures for garland

*I recommend finding "tree decorations" that will easily come out of the dough later.

Once you have all the supplies together, which you probably have lying around your house, this activity is easy and fun. Plus, you can make as many as you want and take as long as your little one wants to. 

If you want something more permanent then you could carefully take the decorations off a completed tree and let it dry, Then, come back and hot glue the decorations back on. It might not last forever but for those children who like to keep their creations it should appease them for awhile. You could also use green clay (that you could bake later) for even more permanence and possibly an ornament or two.

The creativity with this is endless. I love these type of activities.