A Marathon Post of Snow Play

I have been trying to post for the past 3 (I refuse to type out the number "three" in defiance to my days as an English major at the UW. I reserve the right to break lots of rules and have diaper brains now that I'm just a plain old SAHM!)days, to no avail. My Internet has been mad at me. Today it's finally working and this post is looooong. Sorry! First, a weather appropriate craft. And then some fun in the snow. This craft celebrates the evergreens our state is so famous for. We call it "Trees in Snow".

First off, if your children are old enough--this is a great lesson on symmetry. You can talk about what symmetry is and show them the "line of symmetry". Fold a paper in half and draw the shape of half of a pine tree. Remind them the importance of never cutting on the folded side of the paper. Then, cut out, unfold--and voila, you have a tree. You can either cut out one tree on a piece of card stock and then trace it multiple times on green paper and have the kids cut out their own trees. Or, if you are working on the symmetry aspect of this project, skip the tracing step and have each kid draw and cut out their own tree.

Then, glue your tree (or trees) to blue paper.

Then the painting begins!

This is a fun way to paint. Just cut up a kitchen sponge into small pieces. Dip in white paint, and you have your snow! This is a great lesson on texture. Caroline really seemed to get it (right).

Ezra decided that texture is for the birds! My tree is having a white out blizzard just like we are!

This is Caroline's snowy tree scene--my mother eyes thought it quite cute, sorry it's sideways. Of course, because this was one project I planned to save for a scrap book, Miss Kine got into it that night and ripped them all to pieces. Oh well, we'll just have to do it again. The kids won't mind in the least.

The final products.

The next door neighbor's granddaughter, C, is so kind to our children. She comes over and asks them to play outside often. She even brings out baskets of her childhood toys and plays in the grass for hours with Ezra in the summer. On this particular day, the grass was not visible. But she did have a snow fight with Ezra, made snow angels with him, pulled both kids on the sled and carried Caroline all over the yard. Caroline just lay on her back in the sled like a princess demanding to be pulled all around. Can C have some extra credit for all this hard work, Miss Acton? Please????

After a long day of playing in the snow and making crafts in the house, we need a drink of milk in a cozy chair while daddy tells Ezra "Once upon a time when you were a little boy" stories before bed.

Ezra has also finally felt the attraction of hot cocoa when he comes in from the cold. I wondered when this day would arrive! Guess he had to turn 3 before he fell for hot drinks.

Peek-a-boo!

I see you!

And now I must run away to my bed, my grandpa and grandma Idaho just arrived and I need lots of energy to play with them! They barely beat the storm to our house, praise the Lord for safe travels for them! Merry Christmas to you all. Ezra and I will be back soon to show you our presents : )