DIY Cloud Dough: Aside from being a wonderful sensory
activity for young kids, cloud dough is inexpensive and easy to make! Just mix
baby oil and flour in a 1:8 ratio - we used 1/2 cup baby oil and 4 cups flour -
and you have cloud dough! It looks like flour, but it holds its shape when
pressed. We started mixing it with a spoon, but ended up using our hands to mix
it thoroughly.
You’re going to get your hands in it eventually anyway! It kept
Emma occupied for quite a while, and she’s asked to play it again multiple
times. We used measuring cups and spoons the first time, and have also played
using cookie cutter and cars to drive around in the cloud dough.
This worked
alright as an indoor activity, but we did get pretty dusty and ended up needing
to change clothes. It swept up and washed out of clothes pretty easily. It
would be great to make this stuff in the summer and just go wild outside in the
yard.
Snow in the Bathtub: We love playing in the snow! But lately, it's been freezing outside. I'm talking high of -5 degrees freezing with a windchill down to -45 degrees. Not only that but even on days without subzero temps, sometimes it takes longer to get the little ones bundled up to go outdoors than we actually spend playing outside!
One great way to get the outside experience without the headache is to bring the snow to you! On one of our arctic days, I decided to shovel some snow into two of my big stockpots and put the kids in their mittens to let them play with snow in the bathtub.
I gave them each a measuring cup and a big spoon for digging in the snow and let them enjoy our indoor winter wonderland. When the kids were finished playing, I pulled them out of the tub, dumped out the snow, and turned on a warm shower. They were enthralled watching the melting snow and flow down the drain.
The idea of playing with snow inside is certainly not new. I even have a picture of my sister and me as kids, frequently sick and stuck inside in the winter, playing with snow in our bathtub.
Read: Reading is one of the best activities you can do with your child at any age!
A few of Emma and Bryson's current favorites are:
- Snowball Fight! by Jimmy Fallon (yes, that Jimmy Fallon.)
- Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson
- Snow Day! by Patricia Lakin
We did an activity with one of our books, Snowball Fight! It's been too cold lately to play outside, so we had an indoor snowball fight! We filled three buckets (one for Mommy, one for Daddy, and one for Emma) with cotton balls. We left Daddy's bucket at the bottom of the stairs and ambushed him with a snowball fight when he got home from work. I think this would also be fantastic to do with marshmallows! Unfortunately, we didn't have any on hand. Make sure you follow it up by drinking some hot chocolate!
My 3 good things for today are:
- Warm socks!
- Hot cocoa!
- A blazing fire in the fireplace!
