Winter is in full swing here and we are always trying to find new ways to stay active and embrace the outdoors. Today I will be sharing a few activities that are fun for the kids! A big thank you goes out to Home Hardware for partnering with us and supplying all the wonderful products we used!
Snowy Muffins
For this activity all you need is a muffin pan and nature!
We headed outside looking for the perfect ingredients to make our snowy muffins. We found berries, sticks, rocks and old corn stalks.
After filling the muffin pan up with snow we added our ingredients.
My daughter used a stick and her imagination to stir them up. She had so much fun not only searching for the ingredients but also pretending to be a little baker.
Snow Sensory Bin
Sensory bins are one of our favourite activities here at home. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creativity and it always provides loads of entertainment. So why not try a snow sensory bin? If it’s super chilly outside this activity can also be brought indoors. I love using large bins like this under the bed storage box because it allows for easier play and the mess stays contained.
We filled up our bin with snow and added these cute measuring cups to scoop and build shapes with. We also filled up a couple of smaller Rubbermaid containers with water and food colouring and painted the snow with these Beauti-Tone Paint Brushes. This is the first time we have tried painting snow like this and I must say I was impressed with this technique. The application was easy and the colours were very vibrant.
More ideas for this sensory bin: add your child’s favourite toy characters, cars or other toys they are currently playing with. Nature elements are also a fun addition! If you are doing this indoors where it is a bit warmer you could also add some containers with warm water. My daughter loves to dip the snow into the water to create little slushy ice balls.
Painting Snow
This is a simple activity but lots of fun and great for fine motor skills! We found the perfect small spray bottles and filled them up with water and food colouring.
We sprayed the snow and watched it change colours. My daughter also mixed different colours together to see what colour it would make (bonus learning activity!).
These snow paints are also a great way for the kids to colour their snowmen or other molds they might create with the snow.
Maple Syrup Snow Candy
If this activity doesn’t scream Canadian I’m not sure what does! This is only our second time trying this but it’s already a hit in our home.
We collected snow in our Rubbermaid container and made sure it was packed tightly.
Next, we measured one cup of Maple Syrup and let it boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes.
While it was hot we poured it over the packed snow and it started to turn tacky.
Using a candy stick we quickly started rolling the sticky syrup up.
That’s it! The maple syrup turned into a taffy-like candy and was able to be enjoyed 🙂
I hope you love trying out these winter activities and have as much fun as we did!