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Emma, Johnny, and Lily were begging to go out in spite of sleeting rain Tuesday afternoon. I knew that if I got them dressed up they would walk out, realize how un-nice the weather was, and beg to come in. So we compromised with an activity that has been a hit for the past three winters: we brought some snow in! Lily still wore her coat and Johnny wore a jacket, and they all had a blast!
*We’ve done this before with food coloring, but that makes for a bigger clean-up – and I actually recommend using washable paint instead of food coloring, since that will come out of clothes!
Cost-benefit analysis:
- Prep: 3/4 minutes
- Initial entertainment: nearly an hour, thanks in part to Emma building ice sculptures and all three children hiding small toys (dinosaurs) in the snow
- Clean-up: 3/4 minutes, plus a towel, spoons, and three trays to wash
- Lasting value: A fun afternoon spent together as siblings, and indoor fun on a bad-weather day. And a mini science lesson, since they got to watch the ice melt in the warm house.
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Oooooh, fun! Can you ship some snow to Perth? ;)
Visit Elisa | blissfulE … 7 quick takes Friday- second trimester edition
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Great setup! I love it. I keep meaning to do this. It’s such a simple, obvious thing, yet I never remember to do it. I’m certain my girls would absolutely love it.
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LOL that Johnny put on a coat! I don’t know why I never thought to do this with Abby!
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The one time the kids can play in the snow barefoot :)
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I like to bring the snow inside, too.
Visit Mom and Kiddo … Friday Do-Over- Moon Viewer
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We’ve had good luck with similar warmer themed things
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What a super fun and creative idea!! Very smart too. I think it is very cute that Lily and Johnny still wore coats:-).
Visit Susana … Homeschool Week 25
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Fantastic! We are trying this next snowfall…
Visit mama king … Valentines Craft- Goo Goo for you Goggles
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Send some to us :) I love the picture!
Visit Natalie … What My Child Is Reading – January 22- 2011
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What a great winter activity!
Visit Jen … hope of my heart
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Way better than that fake snow stuff!
Visit Katherine … A Doll and the Resistance
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Good idea. Ingrid’s been begging to go outside but I know she won’t want to stay out there! And after all the effort of dressing kids in their winter gear they better want to stay out long!!
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What a great idea! Recently, I’ve been looking out the window, thinking it’s a great day to go outside — blue skies, etc — and then I look at the thermometer! (Last Friday, at 7:30am, it was -24F/-32C!!! Finally “warmed” up to about 6F later in the day.) I bet my girls would LOVE this.
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[...] Mama Smiles, puts a smile on my face. She had fun with her kids. They brought their snow inside! [...]
This is so great! We have so many days that are just too cold to go outside in, so I’m definitely going to do this (once we have snow to bring inside)!
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maryanne Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
It’s been a fantastic solution for us on those way-too-cold days!
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I love it. My kids just yelled at me, “You never let us bring snow in the house!”
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maryanne Reply:
January 24th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Oops – sorry… =)
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[...] Bring Snow Indoors: Mama Smiles [...]
[...] Bring Snow Indoors Mama [...]
[...] Winter Fun: Bring in the Snow from Mama Smiles [...]
This is great MaryAnne! I love that it can be used in different ways for a variety of ages. And using washable paint instead of food coloring is a good idea. I featured your photo and post in my 25+ Snow-Themed Sensory Tubs at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2013/02/05/25-plus-snow-themed-sensory-tubs/
Visit Deb @ Living Montessori Now … 25+ Snow-Themed Sensory Tubs
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MaryAnne Reply:
February 6th, 2013 at 11:07 pm
Thank you so much, Deb!
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