Right on schedule the Winter has arrived and the
weather is cold and dreary, days are shorter and the kids are bored.
So what does that mean? It's time for you to have some FUN with
them indoors.
Fun things to do in the winter with kids are
listed below:
Polar
Bear Cupcakes
Compliments of Family Fun
Ingredients
Vanilla
cupcakes, 1 regular and 3 mini
White frosting
Shredded coconut
3 large and 2 small White Gumdrops
2 Junior Mint Candy
Chocolate chips - 4 regular and 4 mini
1. First, frost the top,
sides, and bottoms of both a regular-size cupcake and a mini cupcake
with white frosting. For each cupcake, frost the bottom first; then use
a fork stuck into the bottom to hold the cupcake while you frost the
rest of it.
2. Roll the cupcakes in shredded coconut; then,
working on waxed paper, set the cupcakes on their sides with the top of
the smaller cupcake stuck to the bottom of the larger one to form the
bear's head.
3. Add 2 horizontal slices from a large white
gumdrop for ears, a Junior Mint candy for a nose, and 2 chocolate chips
for eyes. For each cub, frost a mini cupcake and a large gumdrop, then
roll them in coconut and arrange them on their sides as shown. Add 2
horizontal slices from a small white gumdrop for ears, a chocolate chip
nose, and 2 mini chocolate chip eyes.
No-sew fleece pillow
You can make a great throw
pillow.
This is an awesome project that
I did with my Girl Scout troop. We used
vibrant
colors with a pattern on one side and a coordinating solid color on the
other side. We used pillow filler rather than a pillow form and they
turned out great. Just make sure you use enough filler and get in all
of the corners. It does take some time to tie all of the knots so you
may want to allow a few takes to do this project so that the kids do not
get tired.
Materials Needed
Fleece fabric (when choosing the fabric consider the colors in your
house)
Scissors
Ruler
White pillow form or you can use white pillow filler
Iron on letters or Fabric paint
Measure fleece fabric to the desired dimensions, then add 4 in. to your
measurements for all four sides to allow for the pillow’s fringe. Cut
two identical-sized panels out of the fleece, according to your
measurements. You can use the same fabric or a different color on each
side.
Hold both fleece panels together. Cut a row of 1-in.-wide vertical
strips along one side of both fleece panels. Repeat for all four sides.
Tie knots along three of the four sides of the fleece panels by tying
one vertical strip (from the fleece panel on top) together with one back
strip (from the fleece panel on the bottom) and knot tightly.
Three sides of the fleece panels
should be closed, creating a pocket. Tuck the pillow form or the white
filler into the pocket. Now knot the remaining fleece strips on the
last side to close up the pillow cover.
Personalize it with fabric paint,
ribbon, or button if desired.
Fleece Scarves
Compliments of Family
Fun
Craft
Materials
7 by 60 inch rectangle of colored fleece
Scraps of fleece in contrasting colors for decorations
Scissors and pinking shears
Needle
Embroidery floss in assorted colors
1. Have each person
choose a motif -- perhaps one shown here -- or a brand-new design you've
thought up together.
2. Cut out the shapes you'll need to create it
from the scraps of fleece. For example, a night scene might consist of
several stars and a crescent moon. Or you can use 2 circles for a
snowman's body and head and then add a hat and other distinguishing
details.
3. Experiment with where to place your cutouts
on the scarf (we decorated a 12-inch portion just above a lower edge).
Use the needle and floss to attach the pieces with single stitches
knotted by hand. One stitch should be enough to hold smaller pieces
(such as a flower or snowflake).
4. Larger pieces (such as the crescent moon)
may take 2 or more. Trim the ends above each knot to the length you
desire.
5. Fringed Finale: For fringe, make a
series of 4-inch snips in the scarf bottom. Then tie an overhand knot at
the top of each strip.
Other Fun Ideas
Fill a spray bottle with colored
water and write or draw in the snow.
Go sledding
Take them Ice Skating or Bowling
Make hot chocolate
Have
a movie day, snuggle up together on the sofa and watch a
favorite movie.
Go
on an excursion to a local museum
Have an indoor picnics. Helpers will love to decide on the
food, make the sandwiches, pick a location in the house and then put
out a blanket.
Go to story time
at the local library and/or bookstore.
Create a fort with blankets
draped over furniture
-- make sure there is room for more than one person.
Create an obstacle course.
Have them jump, crawl, hop,
and walk over and under things.
Board games are always a great way
to pass the time
How about teaching them to
juggle?
Balloon animals was always a
favorite in my house.
Make a home video -- have the kids put on a show and film it.
They will love preparing props, doing the skit, and then watching it
over and over again.
Build with Legos or blocks.
Have a tea party. Set the table with
tea cups, select a dessert (muffins, scones or cookies), invite some
guests (favorite doll, teddy etc... and enjoy
Make chocolate covered pretzels
Prepare a snow meal. All food should
be white. For example chicken in an Alf redo sauce, mashed potatoes,
apple slices, milkshakes and our polar beer cupcakes for dessert.
Cut out paper snowflakes for placemats and use white or clear
dishes.
Make a house/fort out of a big
box.
Have a scavenger hunt.
Make your own icicles. Puncture a
very small hole into a hanging container, fill it with water, then
leave it slowly dripping over night. The next day you should have
your own icicle.
Play snow golf -- carve
out holes in the snow -- and start the game.
If
all else fails leave the cold behind and book a vacation to a family
friendly island resort!!!
