It’s time for another installment of Winter Weather Fun, and this week I’m going to showcase a few reader ideas that I hope to try out in the coming weeks. We’ve actually had a reprieve, and the kids have been able to play outside this week. At least, until Monday when the monsoon hit. It’s been frigid outside ever since, but unfortunately, without snow. (The above photo was taken last January.)
1. Anne suggests having the kids make their own books. My kids would love this. In fact, lately my daughter has been writing her own songs. They are quite entertaining, and I’m sure they will provide fabulous blackmail material when she’s older.
2. Along those lines, when I was a little girl, my mom helped me make an alphabet book, where each page was a bible verse that started with a different letter of the alphabet.
3. And I like Kim’s idea of spreading out a blanket and having a picnic in the family room.
4. At Angela‘s house, they make a store with canned goods and other non-perishable items. They even use real money to buy things, which turns a fun activity into a great learning experience too.
5. But I think Hannah takes the cake with her homemade slime. That’s one brave mama, right there.
I hope this gives you some fresh ideas for fun wintertime activities you can do with your kids. Next week I’ll be sharing five more ideas for winter weather fun, so please leave your ideas in the comments.
As for last week’s $50 Visa gift card giveaway, Mr. Random Integer Generator picks #19 — congratulations Tess M!!!
This post is sponsored by Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup who wants you to know that 32 feet of fresh egg noodles go into every can. For lots of fresh ideas about how to keep your kids entertained and the chance to win $500, check out Wintery Weather Fun at DivineCaroline.
After some EXTREMELY cold weather for Florida, we actually had 2 days that were in the 80′s last week. This morning it’s 43 but I think our high’s are going to be in the 60′ and 70′s. I realized once again that I’m thankful I don’t live where it’s super cold for long periods of time. LOL!
Oh and the winter fun ideas are great. You have some wonderful readers. Hee! Hee!
Hugs
Kim
These are great ideas! Keep ‘em coming, Jo-Lynne.
I keep a large tub filled with “special” stuff for the kids to play with on snow days. The tub contains playdough, shaving cream (we squirt shaving cream on their little table and they play in it or use paint brushes to pretend to paint with it), craft supplies (googy eyes, pipe cleaners, cardboard toilet paper rolls, paint and paintbrushes, foam craft pieces and glue), I keep the tub put up so that it is a “special treat” and they don’t get bored with it because the tub only comes out once or twice a month during winter.
oh YAY! I’m so excited that I won! I’ve never won a giveaway before =)
I just mailed off a story to my son. We used to make up this storyline and follow it through until the end. It was used whenever we were waiting for the bus, walking somewhere, or when it was a snow day. Later, I typed it into the computer and kept a hard copy of it. This was back in the days of diskettes that proved to be about as reliable as Enron. He’s delighted to have our story and is working on it now!
I can’t believe I made your list!!!
I feel so special! One of my favorite homemade books was made by my 5 year old last summer. It was a book about cats and it had short phrases and sentences about how she loved cats. “Cats. I love cats. Cats love me. Cat Cat. My cat.”
Well, a few months later, our baby Joy was on the verge of talking. Finally, she said her first word: cat! She would babble “Cat. Cat cat. Cat.” Jasmine was THRILLED that her baby sister was quoting her book!
How about a step into the ‘Teens’ and get them to make a little ‘movie’? Those who are lucky enough to have a PC and a digital camera can swiftly teach even the youngest of kids to make something good and relevant to their own world. It’s no use using a video camera as there is no challenge or time taken to do it.
Get them walking around taking loads of pictures (the more the better – there’s no developing costs) and then use Window’s Movie Maker or any one of hundreds of other software versions (easily down loadable) to add them into a story line.
As a lot of you have probably already found out, this process is very simple to self teach and with a small amount of help it would be very child friendly to use as well.
When they have made their photo story, music or audio can then be added, this makes quite a nice little montage movie.
Assuming you already have the equipment and software this has all been free remember and can easily while away a whole afternoon or even days. You all know better than I do how amazingly surprising kids imaginations are when they get going.
Movies can be watched on the PC or the best ones transferred to disc (still quite cheap) and watched anywhere. They could be incorporated on blogs or added to youtube – the sky is the limit.
Best of all you have kept them interested and occupied for some hours in the rain, and so much more than that if you think about education and self belief etc.
I hope this rather long winded comment is helpful, if not, tell your Granny from me that she is sucking the eggs all wrong!
We have actually done the movie making with our 10-year-old son! It was fun.
Class in a glass! Glad you enjoyed it.
these are wonderful ideas!
Fun ideas!
I LOVE #2. What a great idea for an older child – a creative way to teach your child 26 verses. Just wondering what she did for “x” – or did you just skip over some of the letters?
Oooh, thank you so much for the link love!! That made this tired mama’s day.
Lots of great ideas!!