Snow, Glorious, Snow

Probably not too popular saying that right now, but snow is glorious! I will never get tired of it falling gently from the sky. Driving and climbing through drifts, yes, that gets old, but watching it descend and build hills, slopes, and lumps where mysterious items are hidden - never.

It's snowing again! Third snow day in a row, unheard of for this girl. But joyful news none-the-less. As I was considering snow and things to do with kids...



About snow, what do I know? Six-sided crystal shapes, cold, clear ice when viewed close up, theoretically no two alike (although recent news suggests otherwise), heavy, dry, soft, powdered, wet, messy,...

Things to do in/about the snow with kids (other than the obvious of sledding, skiing, etc.):

1. Make glitter snowflakes: Use white school glue to draw trails and snowflake shapes on pieces of wax paper. Cover thickly with glitter. Let dry several days. Peel carefully off of wax paper. Display.

2. Dance like snowflakes. Give kids silk scarves, gloves/mittens, and hats. After they put on mittens and hats, let them hold a silk scarf or two and dance around the room like a snowflake. Sing (to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?"):
Dance like snowflakes, dance like snowflakes,
In the air, in the air.
Whirling, twirling snowflakes, whirling, twirling snowflakes,
Here and there. Here and there.

3. Build a snowman outside. Come inside and build a snowman with uncolored play dough. Give kids fabric and craft scraps to make accessories for the snowmen. Include glitter in the play dough to give sparkles. Let dry.

My favorite play dough recipe: 3 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 T. oil, 1 T. alum; Mix well. Add 3 cups boiling water (I include food coloring in water if I am using it). Add glitter to flour mix before adding water. Stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as possible, use spatula to scoop out onto counter. Knead as it cools, the sooner the better. Your hands will get hot, but the alum needs to be mixed in. Cool. Knead some more. When it is only slightly warm, put in a covered plastic tub (not zip bag). Leave vented lid until all the way cool. Keeps for a few weeks. - I love this stuff! Easy to accessorize to themes. :)

4. Make a snowman with two sizes of cheap paper plates - big and small. Punch holes and sew around the edges of both plates (for 2 plate snowmen). Tie together. Use markers, buttons, paper scraps, fabric scraps, and glue to make face and clothes. Dry and display somewhere fun. (If you have a child writer, let him or her write a story and name the snowmen.)

5. Explore ice. Freeze cardboard milk cartons filled with water. Peel off paper, put ice chunks in a plastic tub, and give kids plastic pipettes and a cup of water (I sometimes used colored water for more fun). Let them squirt away until they riddle the ice with holes. Lots of fun time here, which equals free time for mom or teacher!

6. Paint or draw snow scenes. Use black or dark blue construction paper and white colored pencils, crayons, or chalk. Look out windows and then create snow and winter scenes with the white writing tools. OR do the reverse and let your child draw with white on white colored paper and paint over the top with blue watercolor paint.

7. Experiment. Make a few snowballs. Put them in different places in and around the house (or school). Predict which one will melt first, which will last longest. Collect data on a clipboard with paper and pencil. Predict first, check real results, then compare what happened in reality. Be sure to use a timer to see how long the melting takes!

8. Snow painting. Fill spray bottles with colored water. Spray away and make rainbow designs in the snow.

9. Build a snowcastle! Use those beach sandcastle toys and empty plastic containers to build snowcastles. Help pack the snow in and unmold the shapes to create the buildings. Water in a spray bottle may help powder snow to stick.

10. Photo hunt. Use digital cameras to scout the neighborhood for unusual, tricky, weird, cool, or beautiful snowy sights. Load them up onto the computer and have a winter slide show! Vote to see which is the favorite scene. Add music to make a fun winter video.

11. Hit the library, either the real one or the virtual one. Check out books about winter - snow, seasons, weather, animals, sports, activities...Great to curl up and get warm reading after playing out in the cold stuff. A few favorite: The Mitten, A Snowy Day, and The Biggest, Best, Snowman.

12. If the white stuff is falling, put on those dark, solid colored winter clothes and go outside for a snowflake catch. Have photographer ready to capture close-ups of snowflake crystals. Or use black construction paper to catch (and not melt) snowflakes. Amazing!

13. Have an indoor snowball fight! Crumple pieces of scrap paper into snowballs. Let 'er fly! (A caution to those rooms who host breakables...)

14. Favorite winter movie? Grab some popcorn, hot cocoa, and pop in the movie. Watch to your hearts' delight.

15. Chronicle your snow escapades with digital photos. Visit an online site (like Costco.com) and create a winter snow book featuring your kids and you. It will be a hit!

Gotta love snow!

Something of Which I Am Proud...

Just in case you were wondering, this post is not about my grandbaby, although I am extremely proud of him. :)

Families on Mission, Teaching Your Preschooler to Love, Share, and Care (New Hope Publishers) by Angie Quantrell

Check out this book. It's a great resource for families - filled with ideas for activities, games, and projects. Many of the activities are geared towards families with preschoolers and younger children. I am so excited to offer this book as a resource to families who want to teach their children how to be on mission - how to live their daily lives as an active, loving, giving, sharing testimony about Christ. I hope you will take a moment to check this out this book. It was my pleasure to write it for New Hope Publishers. Let me know what you think. :)

(Notice several other books in the image - the "I Can" Series published by Woman's Missionary Union, also written by yours truly.)

I Can Pray by Angie Quantrell

I Can Give by Angie Quantrell

I Can Do It! by Angie Quantrell

I Can Be More Like Jesus by Angie Quantrell

Pocket Full of Rocks

I love rocks. Just ask anyone in my family. Also old barns, but that's not in this post (ok, one thing about barns - I dream of renovating and living in an old barn!).

Collecting, admiring, photographing, and arranging (rearranging) rocks are my thing. I'm the kid on the beach with her britches half way down due to the sheer number of rocks in her pockets. Well, IF we grew up near the beach, that would be me. There were no beaches in Arizona. So we had desert rocks. Rocks are way cooler, interesting, and more dangerous in desert climates. One never knows what is under a desert rock, of course, unless one looks, right? :) Tarantula? Scorpion? Snake? It's like Christmas each time I picked up a rock. Don't tell my mom. She doesn't like snakes or other poisonous things.

I think my rock fetish goes way back to grade school - in the desert. There is not much to do on a dirt playground. Just play with dirt and rocks. So we created elaborate homes, outlined with small rocks. From there, pretend families, friends, and neighbors developed from classmates and other recess kids. When the bell rang, the rocks stayed in place, ready for our next excursion out into the heat.

As an adult I still collect rocks. I have many times enlisted my family and friends to help me haul my favorite finds to the car, and from thence into the garden scheme. I remember one specific camping trip with a college buddy. Rock collecting involved a huge canvas sack, a river, deep water, wet shoes and shorts, and both of us tugging the laden bag to the car, full of prizes. What a friend.

Don't even get me thinking about how OLD the rocks are. My maiden name is Hill. After a certain age, family relatives with the same last name constantly heard the 'old as the hills' comment. I'm thinking rocks are older than hills, since many many hills are made out of rocks...I love old stuff.

I'm don't discriminate against size, color, shape, weight, or location when I am on the hunt. Occasionally, I will look for rocks with one qualifying item. Like at the beach, I look only for rocks with holes or rings of white around them. On mountains, I like rocks with character and lichen. At my sister's place, large and bumpy (and movable) are prerequisites. Over my lifetime, I guess I have gathered and displayed several tons of rocks. I think some of my husband's back issues MAY stem from his willingness to lift the hefty prizes for his stone addled wife. ;0 (See the photo? I want that rock.)

As a teacher and mother, one of my all time favorite activities is, yep, rock collecting and washing. My kids grew up loving to wash rocks using a big plastic tub, water, old toothbrushes, and bar soap. It's amazing how entertained young kids are when they have a stack of dirty river rocks. The rocks ended up either somewhere in the garden or painted and displayed on pieces of furniture. And talk about cheap gifts. Blob on some bright colors, seal with acrylic spray, and voila, a paperweight, napkin holder, objet d'art, birthday gift...

Rocks are such a natural part of landscaping. I use them in planters. I love the way succulents and rocks go together, and the way plants creep over rocks, softening the edges and making them melt into 'been like this forever.' I create ways to make paths, borders, designs, and focal points with rocks. I especially enjoy large rocks with natural dips and holes perfect for water spots. Which leads me to my next favorite pastime, gardening for insects. Insects love natural water holes...

I know I'm not the only one. Rock fiend forever.