A few months ago I pinned a painting snowflakes with pine needles craft. I thought it would be a fun craft for my girls to do. I would link to the original post for the pin but spoonful.com is redirected to family.disney.com/crafts and I can't find the post anywhere on that site. Instead, I'm showing you a screen shot of the pin. Don't those painted pine needle snowflakes look cool? Yeah, I thought so too. But, as you can see from my featured photo at the beginning of the post, ours didn't turn out quite so well. Tottie and I went out to our back yard and clipped a few small branches from our pine trees. We clipped from two different types of trees. I then cut off the tips so that the pine needles could lay flat when pressed onto the paper. Next the girls dipped the pine needles into white paint... ...and pressed them onto the paper. Yeah...ours look NOTHING like the perfect snowflakes in the Pinterest photo. Oh well. Tottie thought it was cool … [Read more...]
5 Cold Weather Day Activities
It's been cold in Minnesota lately. Don't get me wrong, we're used to cold, but not THIS cold! Air temps in the -20ºF range with wind chills in the -40ºF range?! School has been canceled for the 4th time this month and we're going stir crazy! I decided to look back through our archives to come up with 5 cold weather day activities we can do during this crazy, stuck indoor time. Click on the large words to bring you to the post with directions. 1) Make and indoor obstacle course The perfect way to burn off energy while sparking imagination! Arrange and re-arrange to come up with endless obstacles. Spread it all over the house for more exercise! 2) Corn Starch and Water Need a quieter activity that will keep your kids busy for at least an hour? Try the corn starch and water science experiment. You just might end up playing with it yourself! 3) Paper Beads Bring out the crafty side in your kids by making beads out of paper. You should have all the supplies just lying … [Read more...]
Boiling Water Thrown In Freezing Air
It's -22° F with windchills in the -40° range in Minnesota today. The governor of the state closed all public schools so the girls get an extra day of Christmas vacation. What are we doing on this record cold day? We're doing freezing experiments! We can only be outside for brief periods, but long enough to throw boiling water in the freezing air, make frozen bubbles, and put water out to guess how long it takes to freeze. I know that a ton of people have tried throwing boiling water in the air and watching it freeze before, but believe it or not, we have never done it! What you'll need: Boiling water Below freezing temps outside That's it! Watch the video below to see what happens: Hubby didn't find it all that fascinating but the girls and I thought it was cool. Have you tried to throw boiling water in cold air to watch it freeze? … [Read more...]
Easy 3D Paper Snowflakes
Just because Christmas is over doesn't mean you can't keep decorating for winter. Today we're making easy 3D paper snowflakes that you can hang anywhere in your house to keep winter decorating fun. I know they look difficult, but I guarantee they are so easy even my 5 year old made one without help. I tried to explain how to make these snowflakes with photos but found it was easier for me (and probably for you) to do a video tutorial. We don't vlog often, but look for more videos from us in 2014! Here we go--easy 3D paper snowflakes: Where would you hang these snowflakes if you made them? … [Read more...]
Popsicle Stick Snowflake Ornaments
Christmas is closer than you think. In fact, Lindsi has already started decorating her house! I personally believe in waiting until after Thanksgiving, but Lindsi is a little more zealous than I am. The girls and I did, however, start getting into the Christmas spirit last week by making some ornaments for our tree. The first of many I will be sharing with you is the popsicle stick snowflake ornament. To be honest, we made a few ornaments and I took pictures in the process of making most of them except this one. Nutty made it so fast, I didn't get a chance! To make your own, you'll need: 4 wooden craft sticks (popsicle sticks) wood glue (Elmer's glue will work fine too) blue paint glitter jewels fishing line or ribbon 1) Start by gluing two popsicle sticks in the middle, 90 degrees apart. 2) Repeat with two more popsicle sticks. 3) Glue the two sets together so that they line up with "spokes" 45 degrees apart. 4) When dry, paint and decorate … [Read more...]
Frozen Bubbles
We've had a cold winter this year in Minnesota. Though most of the time we keep our kids indoors when the weather is well below freezing, there are times when sub 0°F can be a lot of fun! Take bubbles for example...they are a summertime or indoor activity, correct? No! Take them outside when it's below freezing and watch what happens! The colder the temp outside the faster the magic happens, however, don't go outside when it's too cold or you won't be able to do it for long. Also a bit of a hint, make sure it's pretty calm outside. Any breeze and your bubbles will fly away before you get to play with them. Don't have bubble solution or a bubble wand? No problem! Make the solution out of dish soap and water. Use a straw as a wand. Experiment by blowing a bubble, letting it freeze, then taking it inside. What happens? Freezing bubbles was a ton of fun with my girls and I'm sure your kids will have just as much fun! … [Read more...]
