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Snow party: indoor playgroup activities before or after Christmas
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Too little snow to have an outdoor snow party? In South Florida, we have to find creative alternatives to wet, finger-chillin' snow. An indoor snow party will give your children hours of fun. Indoor "snow" activities are perfect when it's too cold (or too hot) or when you're looking for an indoor alternative. Of course, these ideas are to compliment outside play, not a substitute for the real thing.
Top of the list is Insta Snow from Steve Spangler Science, pictured to the right. I cannot tell you how amazing this stuff feels when it's "erupts" in your hand. Check out the Insta Snow link and watch it grow (it's also a lesson on polymers - the stuff they use as an absorbent in diapers).
I'm a very tactile learner so I also love making snow-people with Playfoam -wooowhooo, another cool texture. Check out the Playfoam Holiday Kit and the Glow-in-the Dark Playfoam.
The kids are probably getting a little hungry. So, let's make "snowball cookies" to go with all the other healthy snacks you're offering. Here's a very kid-friendly recipe for Coconut Balls made with crispy rice cereal. Who says you shouldn't play with your food? Just don't play with anyone else's.
If we were actually at the North Pole helping Santa, we'd probably see a few igloos. Now there's a conversation to engage children's curiosity. The children will have plenty of time to imagine what it's like to live in an igloo while they are making their own igloos out of paper mache. Here's instructions from Tupperwear using a tupperwear bowl as the construction mold. Or ask a brave, engineer-minded parent to be the project manager for one large child-size igloo for all the kids to play in?! I found a child-size Igloo Playhouse from the UK. Please leave a comment if you know a vendor in the states.
We still have one more week before Christmas, so use this theme to create a Santa's Workshop or North Pole playdate. Everyone can be Santa's helper with the right elf hat. Then, get those elfves a-cobbling at a wood working station. I'm a firm believer in learning through discovery. So just set out the tools and watch your kids create one-of-a-kind who-knows-what. Start with safety goggles, wood, hammers, nails, white or wood glue, and sand paper. Remember, supervision is required around tools. Here are a few other simple ideas to get kids started at woodworking. Or, keep it very simple with traditional wooden building blocks and a pretend building station.
The last step before the new toys leave Santa's workshop is to wrap them as presents. A wrapping station is tons of fun, especially without close supervision. Give the children old wrapping paper or newspaper, safety scissors, transparent tape (lots of it), bows, ribbon, stickers and decorative do-dads. You'll never see presents wrapped quite like this - but that's the way elves do it!
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
Happy Holidays!
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