Lazy Mom’s Guide to Snow Day Activities!

I couldn’t find ANY other photos of a birdseed snow angel, so send one if you try it! via Family Fun Mag

Unexpected or not, snowy days offer up really fun activities — more fun than shoveling your sidewalk and driveway. More fun than sitting inside and saying, “I’m booooored!”

I know there are lots of lovely curated lists of snow day activities, but my friend Catherine sent some activities around last night, and it inspired me to do another one. Plus, because today and the next few days will be super cold — those of us with small children and children with sensitive skin might not be encouraging hours of sledding. Enjoy!

1. I have to include my favorite snow activity: Snow Lanterns. I’ve made these for ages, but it only when we moved to the suburbs that we were able to really enjoy the full experience.
2. Snow Hurdles. Description from Spoonful. Lightly pack a bunch of basketball-size snowballs and then use them to build a course of hurdles to jump over in a round of follow the leader. The kids can get creative with shapes and sizes.
   

   from the creative blog: icanteachmychild

3. Colored Ice Building Blocks. Usually a hot weather activity — this can be a lot of fun in the cold as well…and you can keep it outdoors from beginning to end. Here’s one description for NON-Lazy Moms from Blog Me Mom. For those of us a little less attentive, and a lot less energetic, take the muffin tins, empty yoghurt containers, ice cube trays, even loaf pans outside and break it into two activities. Create the blocks (fun! messy! food coloring!), and the, however many hours later, have fun building with them, accentuating snow people with them, or just making your yard look like a unicorn had left its mark. Feeling like a show off? Try this igloo! Feeling adventurous? Try snow graffiti with spray bottles and water with food coloring.
4. I love the idea of Birdseed Snow Angels. But, for me it’s always just been an idea — I picture squirrels stomping around and getting all the seeds and then hanging around wanting more. Still, it’s a fun and potentially very pretty activity. Lazy Mom Version: make a snow angel, then sprinkle birdseed lightly in the outline. More Creative Mom Version: make a snow angel, give your children various outdoor tools like pinecones, pine boughs, leaves… Or, if your kids are more precise in their birdseed designs, try creating a pattern using cookie cutters, stencils, or other fun shapes.
5. This Ice Bubble idea is last in this post, but it’s at the top of my list for today. Take some bubble solution, blow a nice big bubble, then wait with it on the wand until it’s frozen. Easy, fun, pretty. And you can do it again and again. Here are two methods: Bubble Wand and homemade with a straw and dish soap. And if you love Maryland…they’ve got a version, too.

BONUS: This combination of the Bird Seed Angel and Snow Lantern is amazing!

Let me know in comments if you try any of these — or if you have your own favorites.