It’s a snow day in Smithtown, which means cabin fever for the rambunctious little ones. Keep your sanity, cure stir craziness and get ready to embrace the snow outside. We tested out a few snow day activities that are guaranteed to keep the kids entertained and even tire them out, using basic household supplies. So get the snow suits on and get ready for a day of snow filled fun with the little ones!
Snowcream
- 12-14 cups of new-fallen snow
- One 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Fill a large mixing bowl with freshly fallen snow. Start with 12 cups of snow and add more if needed. Add the vanilla and the condensed milk. Use a wooden spoon to gently mix and fold the snow mixture until well combined. Scoop a few spoons into bowls and enjoy immediately. Store leftovers in the freezer in a tupperware container.
Exploding Frozen Volcano with Elephant Toothpaste
- A mound of Snow
- 1 empty 2 liter soda bottle
- 3-4 squirts of Dawn Dish Soap (without antibacterial properties listed on lable)
- 1 spoonful of dry active yeast
- 1/2 cup of Hydrogen peroxide (6% 20 volume works best, found at most beauty supply stores)
- Liquid Watercolor (food coloring works well too)
- Glitter (optional)
Start off by mixing the dry active yeast with 2 tablespoons of warm water, stir well. Set aside. Next pour the hydrogen peroxide into the plastic soda bottle. Add to the bottle a few drops of Liquid Watercolor or food coloring, dish soap and glitter. The next step is best conducted by an adult. Pick up the bottle and gently swirl in a circle until ingredients appear to have blended together. Do this gently and preferably outdoors or in an indoor area that is covered well. Take the bottle outside and have the kids build a volcano of snow around the bottle, leaving the spout exposed. Once the snow is packed around the plastic bottle, bring out the yeast mixture. Have the kids stand back while you quickly pour the yeast into the bottle opening. Stand back and watch the totally awesome exploding elephant toothpaste!.
Snow Art
- Spray Bottles (one for each color)
- Food coloring
- Snow for the art canvas
If the snow is not sticking enough to make a snowman, let your kid find his/her inner Jackson Pollock. All you need is a little imagination, spray bottles and some food coloring. Mix water and food coloring and pour into a spray bottle. Let your children paint a masterpiece on the fresh snow by spraying the various colors on the snow covered yard. Give them a stick to sign their names in the snow before you take a picture.
Colored Ice Scavenger Hunt
- Ice cube trays
- Food coloring
Fill ice cube trays with water. Add a few drops of food coloring to each cube (different colors) and freeze. Once the ice cubes have frozen, hide them around the yard. Let your kids search for the colored ice cubes while you make them some hot coco. For each cube they find, they get an extra marshmallow in their cup!