This is our Winter Wonderland!
Lots of great ideas for Wintertime!
Don't forget to visit our Christmas page for more winter time fun!
Snow painting
Fill empty squeeze bottles (ie ketchup, mustard, syrup bottles) with colored water. Watch your kids have fun drawing pictures in the snow with the different colors.
~demure_143
Snow coloring
If you live where it snows, it is fun to mix food color and water in a spray bottle and paint the snow.!! Our friends made a snow man and painted him green this way. Boy did he look odd!!
~undonestitches
Cotton Ball Snowman
Supplies needed:
- 2 x 15 inch strip of colorful material (plaid looks great)
- One small white dessert paper plate
- Two 8-inch white paper plates
- One bag cotton balls
- Glue
- Scissors
- Two small wiggle eyes or buttons
- Scraps of orange, red, and black construction paper
- Two brown pipe cleaners
- Stapler
Directions:
Line up the three plates vertically, smallest to largest, and slightly overlap each one. Now staple each plate to the one beneath, forming the snowman body. Next, ask the child to glue cotton balls all over the plates. Then, using the construction paper, cut out a smiling mouth, a carrot nose (triangle shape, orange) and three small black circles. Glue the wiggle eyes, nose and mouth onto the cotton balls on the snowman's head. Glue the three circles down the front of the middle plate. Now cut out a rectangle-shaped top hat and glue onto the snowman's head. For the arms, glue pipe cleaners to each side of the middle plate. Bend the arms in the shape you like. Finish the snowman by tying the scarf (strip of colorful material) around his neck and cutting a little fringe at the bottom of each end. For hanging, add yarn through the top of the hat and tie in a knot.
~tipomatic.com(elkayem)
I also love to use cotton balls in various sizes to make snowmen and have the kids glue them together and use buttons for the faces and such. ~asparacello
Winter table decorations
While out on walks you're bound to pick up lots of leaves, berries, pine cones and other stuff. Get some oasis from a flower shop or garden center (the foam stuff that you use for flower arranging and it soaks the water). Put it in a suitable container (we used to use margarine tubs or yogurt pots when I was a kid) and then arrange all your finds. You need to make sure the things you have picked up have some stalks to stick into the oasis. For pine cones, use some pipe cleaners wrapped around then. In flower shops you can sometimes find nice plastic shapes, like birds, that can be included.
You could cover the items with some glitter to add a bit of sparkle. We used to decorate the pots by wrapping them in crepe paper. At Christmas we'd stick some cotton wool round the edge of the pot to imitate snow.
~fiona_m_99
Stuffed Snowman
Materials needed:
2 plastic 2 garbage bags
newspaper, lots!!
black marker
orange & black paper
a old scarf
tape
Have you child help you stuff the bags with newspaper, leaving room to tie at the top. Then tie both bags together, placing one bag on top of the other. (It's starting to look like a snowman now) Place the scarf around the area you tied the bags together, as if it were the neck. Then let your child use the marker to draw in the eyes, mouth and buttons. Next you can cut out a black hat and a orange carrot to tape on the head, carrot being the nose. You're done!
~me2thee1
Snow Village
Supplies needed:
Dark blue construction paper (large size)
Small squares of yellow tissue paper
Package of blue and gold stars
Cotton balls or white imitation snow material
Scissors
Glue stick
Tempera paint and brush
Silver glitter
White chalk
Directions:
Sketch the village scene onto the blue paper (the background), using white chalk. Next, paint the houses different colors, using white on the roof tops and on the ground surrounding all the houses. Allow the picture to dry. Now cut out the windows in the houses, and on the back of your picture, cover each window with yellow tissue paper. Next, cover the roofs with cotton, and stick the gold and silver stars all around the sky for the background. To complete the picture, rub the glue stick over any white areas where you want the snow to sparkle, then sprinkle with silver glitter. Shake off excess glitter and place your picture in a sunny window to let the light shine through your village windows.
~emazing.com (elkayem)
Tube Sock Snowman
Supplies Needed:
1 White tube sock
Bag of fiberfill
Yarn
Medium-sized colored pompom
A pair of medium-sized Wiggle Eyes
Scraps of felt for nose and mouth (or use markers)
Piece of material for scarf
Tacky glue
Powder blush
Directions:
Stuff the sock with fiberfill. Divide the sock and use a string of yarn to tie off into three sections (balls), ending at the base of the ribbing on the tube sock. Knot securely. Next, turn down the ribbed section of the sock to form a cap for the head of the snowman. Glue on the wiggle eyes and bits of felt for the nose and mouth. Use markers to color three buttons down the front of the middle ball. Next, use markers or felt pieces to decorate the cap. Use powder blush on the cheeks for a rosy look. Top off your snowman's cap with a colored pom-pom, glued right in the center.
Finish the snowman by tying the scarf - cut from scraps - around his neck. Cut fringe on the end of the scarf. You could also embroider simple features onto the snowman if desired.
~emazing.com (elkayem)
Snow Chalk Picture
Supplies Needed:
Large sheet of blue construction paper
White chalk
Scraps of colored construction paper
Glue
Scissors
On the blue paper, use the white chalk to draw a winter scene, such as children playing in the snow, building snowmen, or sleigh riding. After your picture is finished, make sure you dot lots of snow all over the scene, again using the white chalk. Next, add a little color to your picture by cutting out small items such as arms for your snowman or colored runners on your sleigh. You might give some of the children in your picture a colorful scarf and mittens. Just use your imagination.
~emazing(elkayem)
Holly Hair Clips
Supplies needed:
Green felt (one square)
6 Red felt pompoms (the size of pearls)
Hair clips (or snap shut barrettes)
Tacky craft glue or glue gun with glue stick
Directions:
Trace or draw a pattern for a holly leaf over the green felt. Cut out four leaves about two inches long and one inch wide. For each barrette, glue on two leaves, slightly overlapping, bringing them together at one end. Glue them to one another at this end, then glue onto the barrette. Make sure the barrette isn't showing, and that the point at which the leaves meet is the front of the barrette. Finish by gluing a cluster of three tiny red pompoms onto the green felt leaves at the point where they meet. Repeat for the second barrette.
~emazing.com (elkayem)
Cotton Ball Snowman #2
Supplies Needed:
2 8-inch white paper plates
1 dessert-size paper plate,
or heavy white paper, cut the size of a dessert plate
1 Bag cotton balls
Glue
Scissors
2 Small wiggle eyes or black buttons
1 Scrap orange construction paper
1 Scrap red construction paper
1 Piece of black construction paper
2 Brown pipe cleaners
Stapler
1 2- by 15-inch scrap of material (plaid looks good for scarf)
Directions:
Staple the three plates together, smallest to largest, in the shape of a snowman. Next, have the child glue cotton balls all over the plates. While the glue is drying, help the child cut out black eyes, an orange carrot shaped nose, and a red smiling mouth from the construction paper. Glue these onto the snowman's face. Now, cut out a top hat from the black paper and glue it onto the top of the head. To finish your snowman, glue or staple pipe cleaner arms onto each side of the center plate. Place your snowman's fabric scarf around his neck and tie once so ends hang down; cut ends into fringe. Finish the body by gluing three small black circles or buttons down the front of the middle plate. If you want, glue a black paper pipe to your snowman's mouth. String yarn through a hole punched in the top hat, or glue a large paper clip on the back of the top plate to use as a hanger.
~emazing.com (elkayem)
Coffee Filter Snowflake
Supplies needed:
Coffee filter
Glue (spray glue works best)
Glitter
Scissors
Note: Place a box or newspaper under your work to catch excess glitter for reuse.
Directions:
To make the snowflake, fold the coffee filter in half twice. Cut various shapes into the folded filter. Open the filter and flatten out. Spray with glue, and while the snowflake is wet, sprinkle it with glitter. Shake off the excess glitter and display as desired.
~emazing.com(elkayem)
Scented Pine Cone Bird Nest
Supplies needed:
1 Large pinecone
Sheet of newspaper
Small artificial bird nest and artificial bird (craft stores)
12-inch piece of 1/2-inch wide satin ribbon
Glitter
Small bag of cinnamon potpourri
White glue
Glue gun /glue stick or tacky glue
Several sprigs of artificial pine or small Christmas decoration picks (craft stores)
Directions:
Cover work area with newspaper. Dab the pinecone all over with white glue, then sprinkle the pinecone with glitter, shaking off the excess. Let it dry. Next, glue the nest onto the top of the pinecone and glue the bird into the center of the nest. With adult help, use the glue gun to glue the ends of the ribbon onto the sides of the top of the pinecone. Use this to hang the decoration. To complete your project, glue the sprigs of pine around the nest, and cover the area where the ribbon was attached. Finish the pinecone by dabbing glue in between the pinecone layers, then sticking the cinnamon potpourri into the wet glue. Hang the holiday-scented nest to serve as a pretty decoration as well as an air freshener. (In many areas, a bird's nest in a Christmas tree is a traditional sign of good luck!) These make nice gifts for friends, teachers, or family.
~emazing.com(elkayem)
