The fact that is has been snowing in many parts of the country and #noschool for the last week also means you have to come up with ideas to keep them busy all day. 

Let's resist the temptation to let them "be creative" by themselves, or TV time. Here are some ideas for you and the children. Let us know if you try any out and be sure to share pictures! Stay warm and make some memories ❤️

1. Snow Painting

Bring your watercolor or tempera paint outside, along with sponges and paint brushes. If you do not have paint, just mix some water and food coloring together. The snow is your giant canvas!

Pro-tip: If using tempera paint (this is the paint that is normally marketed to children by Crayola etc.), water it down a touch to get a thinner consistency.

2. Make an Outdoor Snow Kitchen

Use real kitchen tools like pots, pans, spatulas, cups, cake pans, etc. Or, your children’s play kitchen toys. Bring them outside and create a snow kitchen! 📷: Sun Hats & Wellie Boots

3. Make Play Dough

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1/3 cup of alt
• 2 tbsp. cream of tartar (*you can also use 2 Tbsp of lemon juice)
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or baby oil
• Food coloring or child-friendly liquid paint

5 Easy Steps for Making Play Dough

Step 1: Boil water in a kettle, then measure 1 cup and pour it into a bowl.

Step 2: Add the salt, oil, food colouring, or paint and lemon juice (if you do not have cream of tartar).

Step 3: Stir until the salt is mostly dissolved.

Step 4: In a separate large bowl, mix the flour and Cream of Tartar.

Step 5: Add the water mixture and stir until ingredients are clumping together. Use your hands to continue mixing. At this point, you may need to add more flour if the play dough is sticky, just add flour in small amounts or your dough will become dry. Once you reach a nice soft, non-sticky dough, you are ready to play!!

Pro-tip: We often set theme in our play dough table, for example:

• Dinosaur: dino toys, branches, leaves, rocks, plastic bugs, etc.

• Construction: toy cars and trucks, rocks, and popsicle sticks

• Kitchen: kitchen toys 

4. Indoor Treasure Hunt

Hide Lego, Duplo or a grouping of toys (i.e. dinosaurs, play kitchen eggs, cars, etc.) around the house. Be sure to let your children know how many you have hidden. Give them baskets or bags and send them off to hunt for the hidden objects. Play music while they hunt!

This has become a center favorite and, by request of the children, we play it over and over. A great way to burn some energy off!

5. Build a Fort

📷 credit: education.com

Building a fort is a great way to make some awesome memories. With your children, collect blankets, pillows, and cushions. Decide where you want to build your fort. If you have a dining table, this makes for an easier set up, simply drape blankets over the table and chairs. You can also use chairs to drape blankets over.

Bring in your pillows, favorite books, and more blankets to get cozy under. You may want to bring a flash flight for a fun camping feel. This may even lead to nappy children.