Snowy & Chilly Nature Play Ideas

This seems like an awfully silly thing to be posting in April, but honestly I have just found these beautiful pictures that were hidden away in my camera, and I wanted to write them up. The midwest is actually getting some spring snow as we speak, so maybe it's not so silly...

When the weather gets cold, it seems like all the world forgets about nature. Other than perhaps some sledding excursions down the favorite neighborhood hill, most people don't think about doing much with snow other than sledding, snowman, skiing, etc. Playing with snow is a great way to get children to connect to our natural world.  In addition, nothing really beats snow as an art supply. Snow is plentiful, "blank", and manipulable, and best of all....free!  And, these activities can be done with any amount of snow. We all fantasize about large snowfalls, but in recent years we have hardly had any snow in November-January, except some dustings or a few inches. These ideas can work with that little, too!

SNOWCAKES

When it snows at least an inch on the ground, it is time to make snowcakes!

Start with a "tree cookie," also known as a slice of a log. You can make a set of these in an afternoon with a chainsaw. Please see my earlier post in August 2012 detailing how to make these. If you are not the carpenter type, you can purchase tree cookies from Nature Explore or Magic Cabin (http://www.arborday.org/explore/sourcebook/MerchDetail.cfm?ID=82 or http://www.magiccabin.com/Doll-Accessories/Cherry-Tree-Blocks-Set-36-pieces.htm)

Step 1: Lay the tree cookie flat on the snow.

Step 2: Place a thick layer of snow on top of the "cookie."

Step 3: Layer on the next tier, add snow. Continue as desired.

Step 4: Decorate your cake with pine cones, leaves, acorns, rocks, or whatever
 other natural materials you can find! Wedding cake for the squirrels, anyone?

SNOW PRINTING

This was a particularly happy "accident" I discovered one day while playing with tree cookies. One day, during the warmer months, I had tree cookies in one area of our playspace for children to play with, and in another area, I had colored charcoal available for nature sketches. Some children decided they had a much better idea and started coloring the tree cookies! They made my tree building block set a beautiful, artful rainbow of colors. Months later, I was playing with these tree cookies outside in the snow and came across this pretty amazing accident-SNOW PRINTS!

Step 1: Have your child decorate the tree cookies with colored charcoal.

Step 2: Place a layer of snow on top of the charcoal drawing. Place another tree cookie on top. Using a "hammer" (in this case, it's a smaller diameter tree block), tap the top of the tree cookie for about a minute.

Step 3: Lift off! Remove the top tree cookie, and reveal your freshly "colored" snow.
 You can make out a "red star" in the snow. The more colors you use, the better!

SNOW PAINTING

This is a fun activity to do with food coloring (or you can make your own, natural dyes from beets, onion skins, frozen blueberries and raspberries. etc.).

Step 1: Fill some cups or old dishsoap squeeze bottle with food coloring and water.  

You only need a few drops of dye for each bottle/cup. Pictured above are cups, but I suggest using old dishsoap bottles, hand soap pumps, or ketchup bottles instead. It was a little messy with the cups. Food dye usually washes out, but it was more fun and effective using the squeeze style bottles. Paintbrushes don't work well on snow.

Step 2: Start squeezing! Pictured here is some fluorescent green food dye with water.

The squeeze bottles really do make some great looking, seasonal art.

The blue was done with a old handsoap pump, although it is not pictured here.

INDOOR OPTIONS ON A COLD DAY

 I always have loved a brisk walk in chilly weather or cross country ski across fresh fallen snow. But sometimes there are days it is just too cold or moments when you need to be inside. Below are some ideas that can help you bring nature too your child no matter the weather, all with a seasonal winter theme.

SNOW SCENE & SENSORY PLAY

I filled a plastic toddler water table with snow. I added some pine cones, plastic woodland animals and, the most popular item of all, an old herb shaker.

I filled an old herb shaker with sand for some added fun.
You can also try soil or herbs, for some smelly play.

Create a winter woodland animal play scene. Great for any age.
Our 8 year old also loved playing with this!

The shaker is filled with dried parsley here. Complete safe AND smelly!

Our toddler just can't get enough shaking here!

WINTER CUPCAKES

This can be done indoors or out. I got the idea to use muffin tins as a play tool from the Brookfield Hammil Family Play Zoo (http://www.czs.org/czs/Educational-Programs/Hamill-Family-Play-Zoo%20%20). The education staff there suggested I use the muffin tins as a "filling, dumping, and sorting" bin. We tried that with pinecones, beans, pasta feathers, puff balls, and all sorts of miscelleanous items. It inspired me to use it to make "snow cupcakes," too! To make snow cupcakes, I added some silicone muffin wrappers, snow balls, pine cones, and of course, our favorite herb shakers. It was a fun stacking and decorating activity.

EVERGREEN TREE BLOCKS

As mentioned in my January 2013 post, I really think we overlook the ways we can reuse a Christmas tree. I removed the branches from the trunk with a pair of garden clippers. I saved the branches/needle foliage for our fort-building area outside. They make great thatch! I saved the evergreen tree trunk as a base for a teepee. I cut part of the tree trunk into some blocks, and boy did they smell wonderful! Months later, these tree blocks still hold their beautiful smell. A great way to provide work that olfactory system yet again.

I mixed the evergreen tree parts with other tree blocks and cookies. Pictured here is a Evergreen tree cake with "evergreen frosting." The large trunk in the back is also evergreen, as well as the three pieces on the side. All the children playing with them couldn't stop smelling them. They said, "Mmmm...smells like Christmas!" Smell is closely related to the way our brains hold memories I hear, so what a great way to spark some conversation and have the kids tell stories about their holiday memories.

EVERGREEN TREE COOKIE NECKLACES

This has to be the best smelling necklace ever. 

We cut small tree cookies, approximately 1/2 inch wide, using a jig saw from branches approximately  2-4 inches in diameter. You can even do this with a hand saw. We used a drill to poke a hole at the top. Let the kids paint for fun, then tie on some yarn to make it into a necklace. The kids wore the necklaces and lifted the tree cookie to their nose to get a whiff of the evergreen sap still present in the bark. Three months later, our necklace still smells wonderful.

EVERGREEN PAINTBRUSHES

Test out the texture of different evergreen needles by making paintbrushes from them!

Clip different samples of evergreen needles from the trees in your yard, or just grab what's on the ground. Or, this can be a great use of leftover Christmas tree scraps. Recycling yet again! Pictured here are white pine, two kinds of spruce, and a hemlock I believe.

Gather the needles around a paintbrush, then tape on. I used masking tape here, duct tape would probably work better. Next, open up the paint, dip and experiment with a variety of textures on paper. I used 8.5x11 paper here but, in my opinion, the bigger the better. I also rolled out a piece of butcher paper the length of the room, and that was fun, too.

WINTER ANIMAL SCENE

Mulch leftover from summer gardening is a great material for indoor winter play months later.

Here, I filled a plastic bin with bark and added fake evergreen trees and woodland animals. I filled cups with fake snow (found at the craft store) and white sand. I let the kids help "make it snow" by sprinkling the fake snow and sand on top of the animals and trees.

Of course, we used the empty herb shakers again and filled them with the pretend snow.

FROZEN BEACH

This was also a happy accident. I bought a bag of play sand a few weeks before and left it on my unheated back porch. A few weeks later, we bought the sand inside to dump out in our discovery table. Apparently, the sand had some water in it and it was frozen! Our 8 year old thought this was fantastic and quickly found a hammer (this is a pretend plastic one here) and started chipping away! This was reminiscent of those dinosaur bone kits you buy and have the kids chip out the bones and put them together. This would be a cheaper and more authentic option and you would be able to do it over and over again by refreezing in your freezer. Hiding shells, fake dino bones, plastic animals, would all make this a fun way to explore prehistoric or ice age times.

We also tried plain wooden blocks as "hammers" to break apart the frozen sand. This worked great for the toddler.

We hid lizards, sea shells, and other random items in the icy sand,
 but you could also theme it to prehistoric times.

Recycled Nature Suncatcher

This is a fun activity to do anytime of the year. I also got the idea for this project from the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Finished project

Materials you will need

You will need two clear take out container lids, a holepunch, yarn or ribbon, and a variety of fresh natural materials. I did this project on a cold February day, so the green materials that were available to me was very limited. I found winter rye, moss, and some Azalea leaves in my yard. As well as some dried flowers left from the fall.

Slip the holepunch on the side of the lid and punch one hole. You will need to wiggle the holepunch.

Be sure to put the hole in the exact same spot on both the lids.

Now, place your natural materials on the "deep" side of the lid. Tear up the natural materials so they are small bits. Don't overload it otherwise it will mold later on.

Place one lid over the other in the exact same orientation (shallow side of one will rest on the deep side of the other).
The holes MUST line up!

Snap the lids together.

Hang & enjoy! The natural materials will dry out over time, but as long as you haven't but anything really thick inside, such as flower centers, it will not mold.

Make a Wish for Earth Day...on a twig!

Wish sticks are the idea that you decorate a stick and imagine it to be a variety of items, including a magic wand, sword, tail, dumbbell, marching baton, etc. I first came across this idea from the programs at Garfield Park Conservatory. This idea came from another artist before then that specializes in nature-based art. So, now I share this with you, with a festive Earth Day twist.

Below is a picture of my Earth Day wish stick. I have made a wish for Earth Day, that more people will ride their bikes instead of taking their cars, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I have written it on a piece of paper and tied it to my stick. Then, to make sure my wish comes true, I decorated the stick "in homage" to Earth Day. I used a variety of craft and recycled materials, including ribbon, pipecleaners, beads, fabric scraps, an acorn I found, etc.

A completed Earth Day Wish Stick

My materials

A Magic Twig Wand

Another fun idea is to make a magic wand from a twig. This is as simple as spraying a twig with glitter spray (right hand side). You can decorate it with additional materials if you wish, but is not necessary. Just add imagination and play!

Twig Looms

Here is a photo of a twig loom made by play facilitators at the Brookfield zoo. Just find some twigs, cut them the same length, tie about 2-3 inches apart, and hang! Now it is ready for kids to add their decor by weaving. "Over-under-over-under" is a fun song to sing while you work! Ribbon, fabric, plastic bags, bead strands, and more can be used to make this twig loom. You may even choose to insert natural debris or "treasures" that you find.

Recycle your Christmas tree into play gear for your tot!

There is nothing sadder to me than seeing perfectly good chopped down evergreen trees tossed to the curb or alley in January. One, because this beautiful tree is no longer being loved as soon as we have "used it up", because this is a great play opportunity gone to waste!

Clip small evergreen pieces and mix with tree parts and toy woodland animals.

SUPPLIES

#1 SAND AND WATER TABLE
I purchased a toddler water table from an online school furniture supplier for my daughter's Christmas present this year.  http://www.bizchair.com/s8018-cb.html

This was rather expensive, and you can always use a cheaper version-the Step2 sand and water table Step2 Adjustable Sand And Water Table (Google Affiliate Ad). You can find these cheap used, too. The reason I like mine, is because there are no wheels or pathways that will dictate how my daughter plays with the space (it is more open-ended). Plus, the one I got is more compact for indoor use. I have a Step2 sandbox for outside. I wanted one for inside that I can easily change out the medium and contain the mess. The bin where all the materials are in can be lifted out and dumped easily. You cannot do this with the Step2. Also, there is a flat cover that allows the table to be used for art projects, etc. when not in use.

#2 EVERGREEN BRANCHES
Next, I used a pair of garden shears to cut off small pieces of evergreen. We had cut down a spruce for our Christmas tree from a local tree farm. The needles were not sharp, but very soft and short. This project won't work if you happened to select a Christmas tree with very sharp needles. Pines usually have soft needles.

#3 TREE PARTS
Then, I threw in some "tree parts." I have a collection of tree cookies and tree blocks (see my earlier post from July 2012). Also, add some pine cones, of course.

#4 TOY ANIMALS
Also, add some toy woodland animals. I used plastic ones here purchased from our local zoo, but you could make felt woodland animals or use small stuffed animals. I think it's best to use the actual animals that would be living in this type of environment (with evergreen trees).

A 13 month old plays with the evergreen dig here.

 The 13 month old in this picture loved tossing the branches around into piles and pulling out the toy animals as well as exploring the tree parts. We also had a 7 year old playing here who enjoyed telling stories about what was happening with the animals. She also hid them and made homes for the animals. This is an all ages fun play opportunity!

Close up picture of the dig.

Get creative with fall gardening scraps!

Fall is a time to put things to bed in the garden. But don't put all those flower heads and herbs directly in the compost, play with them first! Repurposing your items normally headed for your compost or yard waste receptacle presents a unique opportunity for kids to get truly hands on with nature, even if that means tearing a flower up! This is a great way for kids to learn what's inside of a "dead flower"...seeds!

Mature marigolds provide a great opportunity for viewing mature seeds. 

You can save these, too, to grow next season! Just fold inside of a packet made out of paper. (I will post these instructions, too).

 In the photo above, we gave each child a pair of scissors and told them to help cut all the flowers off. I was hoping to make a giant pile of marigolds to toss around. This kids were really excited about actually getting to "pick" flowers and open them up. I think we entertained this 2, 3, and 4 year old for a good 40 minutes just cutting off flowers.

Even babies can get into this! Great opportunity
 for filling in dumping practice, just add a bucket!

Great cutting practice.

We made a garland from the marigold flower heads.

To make marigold garland, you just need a needle and thread. You can get a quilting needle (more dull) for kids to try out. You can also make a marigold crown, as pictured in the leaf crown blog post last week.

Speaking of piles of garden things, this idea also worked great with a bunch of oregano I had to cut from my garden. Frost was coming, and I had tons of oregano that needed to be harvested and dried. It was rainy the day we did this, so I set up the activity indoors for my daughter to help.

Big big pile of oregano-smelled wonderful and very tempting to a baby!

Baby had fun rifling through the pile.

Supplies you need: paper bag of any size, yarn, scissors, stapler.

Step 1: Cut off any flowers.

Picture after cutting flowers off.

Also cut off any yellowing or sickly colored leaves. 

All herbs used for drying should be vivid green. Otherwise, you risk mildewing/molding.

Gather a bundle depending on the size of your bag.

 The larger the bag you are using, the larger and more bundles it can handle.

Wrap ends with yarn, just a few times.

Ready for hanging inside bag.

For fun, you can make a mini bundle and wrap it more heavily on the bottom.
This makes a fun kids' necklace!

Baby liked wearing her herb necklace-smelled great!

Staple each bundle to the edge of the bag.

When you're done, staple the top shut.

The last step will be to find a dry place. Temperature is not too important here, just as long as it is dry. An attic works great. If you use an old shopping bag like I did, the handles are perfect to hang on a random nail or hook.