Arctic Play

Earlier this month, I set up some Arctic play for Kate.

 I filled a bin with snow and added our Arctic animals.

Collin was home sick from school, and he joined Kate to make igloos out of styrofoam cups, frosting, and marshmallows.

Kate's finished igloo:

Collin's finished igloo:

Apparently, igloos are very tasty.

Winter is the Warmest Season

 These two beauties are loving all of the snow we have had.

 Wow am I grateful for Reagan.  She takes Kate outside and plays and plays and plays until Kate is cold.  I should back up a bit, because before they even go out, Reagan gets Kate all bundled up with snow pants, warm socks, boots, a coat, hat, and mittens.  I don't have to do any of it.  I've said this before, but Reagan is an awesome big sister.

 The girls decided to use their beach toys in the snow.

 Boo and Kelly hung out with them.

It was the perfect day for reading Winter is the Warmest Season, a great book that celebrates all of the warmth that winter brings, such as hot chocolate, grilled cheese, mittens, blankets, and a warm house.

Painting Snow

It seems like we went from having no snow at all to having snow every week, several days a week, in the blink of an eye.  I don't mind the snow, but some days it is just too cold to go out and play in it, so we bring it inside.

Kate and I worked together to create a masterpiece with watercolor paints and the snow as our canvas.

 We did some color mixing and made orange, green, and purple snow.

Beautiful, don't you think?

The Snowy Day

We haven't had much snow at all this season, but last week there was a tiny bit on the ground while we were reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  Kate requests this book often; I think she likes the simplicity of the text and I also think she can relate to the main character, Peter, in a few ways.  I thought she might enjoy extending the book a bit.  

We began with a sensory art project.  Together we made puffy paint using equal parts white glue and shaving cream.  Kate loves the way this paint dries, and it is perfect for "snow" art.

 I had cut a Peter shape out of red construction paper for her to place in the snow.  She sprinkled on a little white glitter to make her snow sparkle.

Kate grabbed a little snow from the deck and placed it in her pocket, just like Peter, to see if she could save it for later.

When she went back to check her pocket, it had melted, just like Peter's snow in the pocket.  She had already hypothesized that it would melt, so she certainly was not surprised, but it was still fun for her.

There wasn't enough snow on the ground for us to make snow angels or footprints/tracks, so we are still hoping to get a good storm soon!

S is for Snow

Fizzy Snow Dough

 Reagan stayed home with a stomach ache today, so I made two batches of snow dough for the girls.

 Of course Reagan got her hands right in it, and Kate used a spoon to mix it up.  Here is the recipe I used:
2 cups baking soda
2 TBSP salt
Mix well
Add 1 tsp of dish soap (I used Dawn, but I would think any kind would work)
Mix well
Add 8 TBSP water
If you can form the dough into a ball, then the dough is right.  If it is too dry and crumbly, add more water 1 TBSP at a time until you can mold it into a ball.

 Reagan enjoyed making her snowman and decorating him.  I made a snowman for Kate and she added all of the accessories.

 Then I filled a squeeze bottle with vinegar and let the girls squeeze it onto their snowmen.

 Both girls ABSOLUTELY LOVED this part!!!!!!

Hooray for fun sick days!