Snowed In!

We're anticipating a major snowstorm in our area tonight, continuing until Friday.  I am not a fan of driving in that kind of weather, so we'll be stuck in the house for several days.  I compiled a list of some of my favorite activities to do with my kids, in case you find yourself in the same predicament.  Most of the materials needed can be found in your own home.

Waxed Paper Designs
Materials Needed: Iron, grater, newspaper, waxed paper, crayons

Place a few sheets of newspaper on your table.  Place a sheet of waxed paper on top of the newspaper with the wax side up.  Grate the crayons onto the waxed paper.  Place a second sheet of waxed paper, wax side down, on top of the first sheet with the crayon pieces in-between.  Cover with a few layers of newspaper and iron with a hot iron until the crayons are melted.  Hang up to dry.

Crayon Shapes
Materials Needed: Oven, crayons pieces, mini-muffin pan

Another crayon activity...Peel and break apart shorter, unused crayons that are laying around the house.  Place them in a mini-muffin pan.  I found one like this at the dollar store:

After filling the shapes with broken crayons, place them in the oven on 200 degrees.  Keep your eye on them and remove them once they've melted.  Let them cool and have fun!

Silhouettes
Materials Needed: Black construction paper, white paper, white colored pencil, tape, glue, flashlight, another set of hands

Ask your child to stand sideways in a dark room.  Give your second set of hands the flashlight and ask her to shine it on your child's profile.  Tape the black paper to the wall and use the colored pencil to trace your child's profile.  Ask your child to cut out the shape and glue it to the white paper.  The silhouette looks beautiful framed in your child's room.

Silly Faces
Materials Needed: Magazines, scissors, paper, glue

Sort through old magazines and cut out some eyes, noses, mouths, ears, and heads of hair.  Mix them up and show your child how to make some new funny faces.  As soon as your child is happy with her creation, show her how to glue it to the paper.  Lots of giggles guaranteed.

Family Puzzle
Materials Needed:  Cardboard, family photograph, scissors, glue

Glue the picture to a piece of cardboard the same size.  Allow the picture to dry completely and cut the picture into puzzle pieces.  Watch your child enjoy putting together the family puzzle.  Try making a puzzle of each family member.


It doesn't matter how these crafts turn out, children focus on the process rather than the product.  Enjoy the memories you're creating!