One Chilly Playdate

Bring the chilly weather indoors with these icicle inspired activities, crafts, snacks, books and movies.

Begin the day with this fun glue and paper craft.  Glue is squished to the top of a piece of paper and tilted to let the glue run down to make icicles with inner child fun.

Get the instructions here:
http://innerchildfun.com/2011/02/easy-icicle-craft.html

Next, read the classic tale Ivy's Icicle by Gary Bower, a wonderful story about forgiving others.  Check it out of your local library.  It's also available on Amazon.

Next, take a break and have an ice cube tray filled with yummy fruit and veggie snacks.  Spring free trampoline shares the details.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.springfreetrampoline.com/blog/2013/06/03/post-jump-snack-ice-cube-tray-buffet

Next, practice scissors and cutting skills with the fabulous sugar aunts.  After the kids cut them out they hang them up in the windows around the house.

Get the template here:
http://www.sugaraunts.com/2014/01/icicle-winter-scissor-skills-activity.html

Wrap up the day by watching the kooky ice age movie.  Check it out from the library. It's also available at Amazon.

Make Your Dreams Come True

It's Make Your Dream Come True Day.  One way to start is by making a dream catcher to help guide you in the right direction.

Dreams are written upon leaves with this leaf dream catcher. 

Beautiful lace catches dreams in this lace dream catcher.

Colorful gems embellish this pretty beaded dream catcher.

Nature inspires these tree branch dream catchers.

Needle point thread is the star for this colorful dream catcher.

Jewelry wire spins the web for this dream catcher necklace.

A good preschool version is made with feathers and colorful beads for this paper plate dream catcher.

Yarn is wrapped and intertwined to make the web in these heart dream catchers.

A Snowy Play Date

Shake up some winter fun with this snow globe inspired winter play date. 

Start the day by making these cute paper snow globes using paper blue circles to represent the glass.  Kids can then draw on their snowman or whatever snowy scene they like.  Next use a strip of black paper to make the holder.  Found on pinterest.

Next, read Jane O'Connor's book The Snow Globe Family about a family that lives inside a snow globe and wonders when the next snow will happen.  Check it out from the library or it's also available on Amazon.

Next, make a yummy snack inspired by the always amazing Jill Dubien, using tortillas, cookie cut out snow flake cheese and many tiny cutouts to make a snow baby in the middle.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2011/12/fun-food-friday-snow-globe-angel.html

Finish the day by writing snow globe poems or simply coloring it in for younger kids.  Kids can make acrostic poems or write their winter wishes.  From third grade grid iron.

Get the template here:
http://www.3rdgradegridiron.com/2012/01/math-and-writing-freebies.html

Step in a Puddle Day of Play

Happy step in a puddle and splash your friends day.  Find fun activities and things to eat and do to help celebrate the day.

Cut out puddles and rain drops and dress the kids up in their rain gear with melissa and doug.  A great way for kids to expend some energy indoors.

Get the instructions here:
http://blog.melissaanddoug.com/2012/04/13/vals-crafty-corner-indoor-puddle-jumping/

Next, make clouds with the ivory soap in the microwave experiment.

Take a break and make this fun puddle inspired snack featuring crumbled Oreos, gummy worms and little drink umbrellas from celebrations at home blog.

Get the instructions here:
http://celebrationsathomeblog.com/2012/04/a-peppa-pig-muddy-puddles-birthday.html

Next, make some real, albeit tiny puddles by making it rain with a pitcher and colander.  Then have toy plastic animals or people jump in the puddles.  Find the details at pleasantest thing.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.pleasantestthing.com/2013/01/indoor-puddle-jumping.html

End the play by reading the classic kid's book The Puddle by David McPhail.  Check it out of the library or Amazon.

National Plant Appreciation Day of Play

Devote the day to celebrate the household plant with this fun day of play.

Start the day by drawing a cute face on a bowl with sharpies and then plant some sprouts for a fun way to start to celebrate national plant day.  Oh crafts shares the details.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.ohcrafts.net/kids-plant-cups-with-face.php

Next, study how water travels through a stalk of celery by placing a stalk of celery into water mixed with food coloring.  The color will slowly travel through the stalk.

Next, learn about the parts of a plant with gloria fuertes kids blog.  She doesn't provide a template, but does provide ideas for how to create labels and parts.

Get the instructions here:
http://gloriafuerteskidsblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/parts-of-plant-art-crafts.html

Next, take a break for a fun cucumber flower snack, with a celery stalk stem and cherry center from highlands ranch.

Get the instructions here:
http://highlandsranch.macaronikid.com/article/526818/macaroni-menu-flower-and-bug-lunch-ideas

After the snack, learn more about the parts of a plant with a short video from brain pop jr, which also has a link to more ideas for activities:
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/plants/partsofaplant/preview.weml

Finally, follow a seed's journey Eric Carle style with his book The Tiny Seed.  Check it out from the library of find it on Amazon.

A Cozy Playdate

Cozy up with this mitten based play date for both indoor and outdoor fun

 

Begin the play date by repurposing a pair of cozy socks into a pair of warm mittens with pam's party and practical tips.  Older kids can hand stitch the mittens closed with yarn and younger kids can lace them with pre-cut holes.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.pamspartyandpracticaltips.com/2012/03/wool-sock-mittens.html

Next, read the classic children's book The Mitten by Jan Brett.  Check it out from the library or it's also available on Amazon.

Next, take a break with this adorable mitten sandwich snack from meet the dubiens.  It's especially impressive since she incorporates everything from chicken to carrots.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2010/11/fun-food-friday-brrr-baby-its-cold.html

Finally, complete this fun math estimation and probability activity from swamp frog first graders where kids get to predict how likely it is for each animal to actually be able to fit into a mitten.

Get the instructions here:
http://swampfrogfirstgraders.blogspot.com/2010/12/animals-in-mitten-probability.html

Stained Glass Paper Snow Flakes

Paper snowflakes take on extra color by adding tissue paper to give them a stained glass effect.

Mama miss uses round paper and a stencil.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.mamamiss.com/2013/02/04/book-craft-snowflake-stained-glass-mobile/

Parent teach play uses black paper for the snow flake.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.parentteachplay.com/stained-glass-snowflake-craft/

Glen and katie make really colorful versions using the tissue paper for the snowflake and pasting them into a black circle.

Get the instructions here:
http://glenandkatie.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to.html?m=1

Inner child run makes smaller ones and cuts them out of black paper.

Get the instructions here:
http://innerchildfun.com/2010/01/easy-snowflake-suncatchers.html

Crafts by amanda uses white paper and glues tissue paper into the cut outs.

Get the instructions here:
http://craftsbyamanda.com/2014/12/paper-snowflakes.html

Pink and green mama layers tissue paper for her version.

Get the instructions here:
http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2011/02/kids-craft-cut-tissue-paper-stained.html

Kinder craze makes a black snowflake and glues it onto a tissue paper collage background.

Get the instructions here:
http://kindercraze.com/2013/01/festive-winter-window-decor-and-freebie/