Parts of the country are covered in snow right now, and caregivers are looking for some fun activities for the kids to do on a snow day. Of course, there’s sledding and snowman building, but if you’re looking for something a little different, I’ve found several fun things to do in the snow.
Photo: Deposit Photos
Snow painting
Super easy, super cheap. Fill spray bottles or water squirt bottles with water. Put four or five drops of food coloring in each. Head outside and spray or squirt away. Kids can draw, write, make silly designs, or whatever they want to do.
Make tire sur la neige
This Canadian sweet treat is basically maple taffy and can be found at sugar shacks in Quebec. This may not be 100% authentic, but pretty close. Here’s how: Bring the maple syrup to a boil in a large saucepan and simmer several minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, it should reach 240 degrees). Pour in a thin stream over clean snow. Let set for a moment to begin to harden. Roll up on clean stick (like a Popsicle stick) and eat.
Photo: Deposit Photos
Snow ice cream
Just four ingredients are all you need for this yummy treat: snow, sugar, half and half or evaporated milk. and vanilla flavoring. But try experimenting with different milks and flavorings. We used chocolate milk — yum! Here’s the recipe.
Snow mazes
March through the snow without really lifting your feet much — create letters, names, designs, and more. Bonus: while kids are having fun, you’ll get a good thigh workout.
Blow ice bubbles
If temperatures are below freezing, get out those bubbles left over from last summer, bundle up in warm clothing, and go outside to have some fun. Try blowing gently on the bubble wand so that the bubble won’t land too far away. Let it sit for a few minutes (if it doesn’t pop before that) and watch to see if it freezes. You could end up with some very pretty ice designs on your bubbles, so have your camera ready. (Tip: to get a beautiful ice bubble shot, don’t shoot from overhead. Instead, get down low and try to take a picture of the ice bubble with some sky in the background.)
Make ice crystals
Keep those summertime bubbles out. We found this works best if you put bubble bottle in the garage or out in the cold for a bit until it thickens a little. Then simply dip wand into liquid, pull it out and watch crystals form. It’s interesting to see them take shape.
Ice castles
It’s like sand castles, but for winter. Grab all those yogurt, fruit, applesauce and cream cheese cups (or any little plastic containers) from the recycle bin, fill them with colored water, and put outside to freeze. Once solid, the kids can stack and build whatever they like with their mini colored ice blocks. Make as many as you like; once unmolded, the cups can be used over and over again.
Snow day egg hunt
Freeze colored water into cubes or other fun shapes and hide them around the yard for a winter time “egg” hunt.
Snow golf
Flatten down an area of snow and press tin cans into the snow to make the holes. Grab that toy golf set from the garage and play a round of golf.
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