Snow Play!

Christmas is over, but winter has kicked into high gear. All over the country, there is a cold front that has hit. Well, at least it has in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time in I can't recall how long, we have over a foot of snow at my house. I realize that about 20 miles south of us, they were hit hard with snow just a month ago, but we had just a dusting at that time. This time, we have actual, genuine snow accumulation at our house! 12 inches and counting! One of the amazing things about snow: it wears kids out! I mean, it's like the best outside activity ever! I decided, after the coldness started to kick in, but my desire to bring my kids back inside hadn't kicked in yet, that I should come up with some fun outdoor snow activities. In steps Pinterest to save the day, yet again. I found a blog that talked about warm ways to play with the snow. Well, I adjusted the idea a bit and kept the kids outdoors. To check out the blog, go here. 

Photo from Pinterest

I did three different activities with my nephew and my son. First, we did some painting in the snow. The blog recommended just some paintbrushes and some colored water - so I gave it a try. I filled up two ice cube trays with water and food coloring and brought it outside for the boys. They were ecstatic to give it a try. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that the snow we had was too powdery, not icy enough and too deep, so we scraped off some of the snow and the boys painted on the patio.

The boys had fun with this, but it wasn't all that successful. I think it'd work better with snow that is a little more packed. Gabe found a fun way to play with it though: sprinkling it on a rock.

Cade had fun too, although he didn't actually make anything - for his little 2.5 year old self, he had a blast.

Next, I made up two spray bottles filled with water and food coloring for the boys to spray.

I think if I used more food coloring, the color may have been a bit more vibrant - but it still was fun for them.

The boys got more enjoyment out of this than they did with the paint, but they still had fun. Lastly, we made a target out of a garbage bag and tried throwing snowballs at it. 

The snow, again, was far too powdery - so making snowballs for it was nearly impossible, so this little game didn't work so well, but it was fun to try just the same. 

So, there you have it. Some fun ideas to try out for your winter wonderland. Nothing super awesome, but good enough and entertaining enough for the littles. And just for kicks, here are some pictures of me and my babies. Enjoy the snowfall!