Sock Snowman

What you need:Sock Snowman
• White sock
• Scissors
• 2 Rubber bands
• Rice
• Fabric markers

What you do:
• Cut off the top of the sock from the foot.
• Turn the top of the sock out.
• Attach the rubber band tightly to the bottom  of the sock.
• Turn the sock right side out again.
• Fill the sock with rice.
• Rubber band the top of the sock closed.
• Put another rubber band 3/4 of the way to the top of your snowman.
• Tie a scarf around your snowman’s neck.
• Draw yeas, nose and buttons.
• Use the toe of your sock for a fashionable hat for your snowman.

Winter Birds

What you need:Winter Birds
• Canvas
• Blue watercolor
• Brush
• Small branch
• Rocks
• Black sharpie
• Small pompoms
• Tacky glue

What you do:
• Color the canvas blue.
• Let it dry.
• Glue the branch to the canvas.
• Let it dry.
• Glue the rocks above the branch (these are going to be your birds).
• Let them dry.
• Draw the birds’ legs and the eyes with the sharpie.
• Glue the pompoms for snow.
• Display.

Melting Snow

What you need:Melting Snow
• Snow
•  Hot water
• Kosher salt
• Sugar
•  Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Cups

What you do:
• Bring some snow home.
• Separate it into 5 cups.
• Add substances to each snow cup and note the immediate reactions. Did it affect the ice? Is it penetrating? Did it cause the ice to melt?
• Let sit for approx. 5 minutes.Melting Snow1
• Watch what happens.
• What melts the snow first?

While the snow was melting we learned about the structure of snow flakes.

Animal Ornaments

What you need:
• Light-colored felt, such as cream or eggshell
• Animal shaped cookie cutters
• Disappearing-ink pen
• Scissors
• Thread

What you do:
• Trace cookie cutters with a disappearing-ink pen on felt.
• Cut out twice.
• Lightly brush glue onto the back sides of colored-felt pieces.
• Sandwich the light-colored piece in between.
• Let dry flat.
• Hang from a length of silver thread, knotting at top.

Crepe Paper Rosettes

What you need:
• Styrofoam ball
• Crepe paper streamers
• Ribbon
• Sewing push pins
• All purpose glue
• Ruler

What you do:
• Measure your crepe paper strips at 9 x 1  inch.
• Cut.
• Crumple the strips up, to make them softer and more fabric looking.
• Straighten them out.
• Begin to roll. Start small and then get a little looser. Like a real rose.
• Gather the end piece of crepe paper and then add a dab of glue to the outside of the flower, itself, and stick it on the edge.
• Start putting flowers on the ball.
• Use some sewing push pins to adhere the ribbon to the ball.

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Valentines Tea Bags

What you need:
• Tea Bags
• Red Construction Paper
• All Purpose Glue
• Scissors
• Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter

What you do:
• Trace your cookie cutter on construction paper.
• Cut two hearts out of construction paper.
• Remove a tea-bag tag.
• At the end of the string, affix two hearts, back-to-back with glue.
• Let it dry.
• Package bags to give as a present or steep one in hot water and serve.

Heart Bookmark

What you need:
• Heavy Card Stock
• Utility Knife
• Construction Paper
• Glue Stick

What you do:
• Create a template of a heart, about 1 1/2 inches wide.
• Cut out with a utility knife, and trace onto heavy card stock.
• Copy it at 80 percent, cut out, and trace onto construction paper.
• Cut out both hearts, and use a glue stick to secure smaller patterned heart to center of the larger one; let dry.
• Trace bottom half of inner heart with a utility knife, cutting through card stock beneath. Then your valentine can slip pages between the hearts.

Wreath of Hearts

What you need:
• Construction paper
• Heart shaped cookie cutters of different sizes
• Red paint
• Glue stick
• Cardboard 9 1/2″ square or larger

What you do:
• Cut a 9″ circle from cardboard.  In the center of this circle, cut out and discard a 5″ circle.  This is the form for your wreath.
• Lay your wreath form down on your work surface face up. 
• Paint the wreath red. Let it dry.
• Trace the cookie cutters on the construction paper. Cut out.
• Glue the hearts on to your cardboard circle, layering and overlapping them.

Heart Ornaments

What you need:
• Red-colored felt
• Heart shaped cookie cutters
• Disappearing-ink pen
• Scissors
• Thread

What you do:
• Trace cookie cutters with a disappearing-ink pen on felt.
• Cut out twice.
• Lightly brush glue onto the back sides of colored-felt pieces.
• Sandwich the light-colored piece in between.
• Let dry flat.
• Hang from a length of silver thread, knotting at top.

Winter Wonderland

Take the Kids Outside.

When the first week of winter weather approaches many parents groan with the thought of their kids being stuck in the house. Life changes with each season change but there are activities that can be done outside during the winter months. Not only does getting outside during the cold months give everyone a change of scenery, it’s also very important to be able to continue staying active. In addition, it will instill lifelong values into your children about the importance of enjoying nature during all of the seasons earth provides us with.
Getting outside during winter is important to keep the family active. Children work well on routines so it is almost not fair to have children busy through fall picking pumpkins, running through apple orchards, and jumping in leaf piles to all of a sudden shut the door to the outside world. They will appreciate continuing outdoor activities and experiencing nature in a different setting. Make sure to be prepared for winter and have clothes that fit children that will keep them warm such as a winter coat, snow boots, warm thick socks, hats that cover little ears, scarves, and gloves.
Children will also benefit doing outdoor activities in the winter by having quality family time. When it is cold outside, it’s easy for parents to get involved in a book, a football game on TV, or be content taking a nap. These types of indoor activities do not involve the children and family time can get lost. When the family gets out as a unit they can focus on each other without distractions from the TV and such. It allows for children to also feel as though this is their time and once they return home they will have exerted enough energy to be tired or at least be more content doing something by themselves.
Here are 17 fun (and cheap) outdoor activities to get you motivated:
1. Go ice skating.
2. Build a winter bonfire and make s’mores.
3. Rent some snowshoes and go snowshoeing.
4. If you have the equipment, go winter camping. If that’s too ambitious, check out your state parks for cabin or yurt rentals. Once you’re there, go on beautiful winter hikes (afterwards, a cozy fire is definitely in order).
5. Take your dog for a walk. It’s one of the main benefits of having and owning a dog.
6. Go cross-country skiing.
7. Attend a dog-sled race. You don’t have to live in Alaska to see one of these – check your state’s Department of Natural Resources page, they usually have a list of upcoming events.
8. Go sledding.
9. Build a fort and have a snowball fight with your kids. Or buy a snow block maker and build an igloo.
10. Take a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa and sit outside on your front porch swing.
11. Shovel paths in the snow.
12. Feed the birds or go bird watching. Make your own birdfeeders out of pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed.
13. Go ice fishing.
14. Go on a winter picnic. Take blankets, sandwiches and hot soup in a thermos
15. Head out on a photo expedition to take pictures of the winter landscape.
16. Set up an obstacle course in the yard with jumps, tunnels and other challenges.
17. Make snow paint. Simply add food coloring to water and put in a spray bottle, then go out and paint your yard!

As your children grow older, they will continue to want to do these activities and even pass them along to their children. Don’t forget to have a nice warm treat to conclude the day, such as creamy hot cocoa.

Easy Ornaments

What you need:
• Watercolor
• Watercolor paper
• Brush
• Glue
• Scissors
• Ribbon, curly wire or ornament hook
• Cookie cutters
• All purpose glue
• Hole punch or needle

What you do:
• Spray down the paper with plain water.
• Paint large areas of color in random areas.
• Use the paintbrush to gently help the paint float together to make the colors touch without blending too much.
• Let it dry.
• Trace your favorite cookie cutters.
• Cut out the shapes.
• Put the front and the back pieces together. Glue.
• Use a hole punch or a needle to put a hole in the top.
• Put a loop of ribbon , a curly wire or a simple ornament hook in the hole to enable you to hang it .

Tip: These also make beautiful gift tags to make a package extra special.

Simple Tree Skirt

What you need:
• Felt, 60 square inches (about 2 yards)
• 2 bulldog clips
• String
• Tailor’s chalk
• Small plate
• Scissors

What you do:
1. Fold the felt in half to create a triangle. Fold the triangle in half to create another smaller triangle.
2. Use the bulldog clip to attach one end of a long string to the folded corner of the fabric. Use the other bulldog clip to secure the other end of the string to a piece of tailor’s chalk. Holding the string taut, swing your “compass” from edge to edge in a quarter-circle, drawing an arc with the chalk.
3. With the fabric still folded and using the small plate as a guide, trace an arc onto the folded, 90-degree corner of the felt. Leave it folded, and use scissors to cut along the trace marks.
4. Unfold the felt halfway, and cut a slit along one of the folds from the edge of the circle cutout in the middle to the edge of the felt.