Sometimes good parenting means that we have to help our kids find fun in unexpected ways. I’m not talking about making the fun for them; I am a big advocate of teaching kids how to relieve their own boredom as opposed to offering up ready-made solutions to the ubiquitous and plaintive wails of “There’s nothing to do!”
With a newly fallen fresh 4 inches of snow on the ground, you’d think my kids (who have been waiting for snow since, hmmm, October) would embrace their snow-play with all the zeal of piglets in mud. However, once the novelty of a new snow has worn off (give or take an hour), I often find they need a little creative inspiration to renew their enthusiasm.
Cook up some fun! Muffin tins, cookie sheets, metal mixing bowls, spatulas and whisks make great tools for creating. No need to offer direction; simply pass out the tools and let your child’s imagination do the rest. Keep a list of what you send out so you don’t find your whisk…next spring.
We all scream! Snow ice cream is fun and super easy to make, but how about offering up some different ingredients and letting your little chefs lead the way on flavor? Pick up a variety of extracts (vanilla, peppermint, almond, chocolate) and see what they cook (or freeze) up. Note of caution: make sure you supervise the snow gathering to ensure clean snow!
The hunt is on! Make multi-colored ice cubes with a few drops of food color in each chamber. Have your kids help you mix the colors for different shades and hues. Make a lot (50+ if you have the trays) and make them nice and bright! When the cubes are frozen, send your kids outside with them, and see what happens…could it be an impromptu Easter Egg hunt, or the building blocks for an architectural wonder? In the evening, go out and shine a flashlight on the creations for a really cool effect.
As always, younger kids should be supervised for these activities. Other than that, stand back and enjoy the creativity!
