Grab your mittens, and… Wait! You don’t need mittens to make these snowballs!

When it’s too cold to go outside and play in the snow, gather your family and have fun with these cool indoor snow projects!

Fizzy Snowball Surprise – These snowballs aren’t for throwing – they FIZZ! This cool cocoction idea is fun for kids to make, and even more fun to watch fizz and reveal a hidden surprise! Click this link for complete instructions.

Snowball Soap Surprise – This snowball melts in the bathtub, not in the sun! Click this link for complete instructions and ideas.

Snow Muffins – Kids absolutely love to help whip up a tasty batch of muffins that use REAL snow as an ingredient! Talk about winter cooking fun! Click this link for our recipe.

Snowball Surprise Cookies – Celebrate SNOW with these delicious cookies hiding a surprise in the middle! The cookies are easy and fun for kids to make, and they taste great!

Marshmallow Snow Sculptures – If you don’t have snow to play with in your area, or if it is too cold to play outside, here is a fun indoor activity that tastes good, too! Click this link for a recipe, instructions, and creative ideas.

Frozen Face Treats – Here is a fun idea that lets kids express themselves with art that results in a tasty frozen treat! Click this link for complete instructions and ideas.

You May Also Like:

• Snow Sounds – An Onomatopoeic Story – Sweep, crunch, swoosh, scrape . . . poetry and elegant watercolor paintings cleverly bring to life this unique story of snow removal and the fun onomatopoeic sounds accompanying it.


• The Story of the Snow Children – Poppy is gazing out of the window at the snow when, all of a sudden, she sees that the snowflakes are really little Snow Children dancing and whirling in the garden. Soon, they whisk her away to the Snow Queen’s wintry kingdom.


• White Snow, Bright Snow – All the wonder and delight a child feels in a snowfall is caught in the pages of this book — the frost ferns on the window sill, the snow man in the yard and the mystery and magic of a new white world.


• Make Your Own Snowman World – This set comes with everything needed to make life-like snow, snowmen, a snow fort or igloo, and many little snowballs! Just add water and mix up some fun!


• Instant Snow – Make snow instantly with this amazing Polymer. Add one tablespoon to 32 ounces of water and stir! The more you stir, the more it shines and sparkles! Super Snow expands to over 100x its size and last for weeks without rewetting. It has been used on movie sets and in snowboarding parks. In addition, the snow can be reused.

The long nights of Winter offer a perfect opportunity to light up your night with unique ice globes! Creating ice luminaries is a unique activity for families, and the results are nothing short of spectacular!

Our family has been creating ice and snow lanterns for many years. We create star ice lanterns throughout the year and especially love making them in the winter. We’ve created snow lanterns in our yard to light up the night for pond hockey. We also really enjoy creating ice globes to decorate our winter landscape and to use as indoor decorations. It’s easy to find “how-to” articles on creating a standard ice lantern, so we thought we’d share how we create our ice globes with you – something a little different.

What You Will Need:

• Large heavy-duty balloon (we like to use Punch Balls, as the balloon is extremely durable and you can make small and large ice globes with it)


• Metal Bowl – to be used as a base for the water balloon while freezing


• 2-Liter Soda Bottle


• Scissors or Sharp Knife


• Water


• Water Nozzle, such as a garden hose nozzle (we actually use the hose adapter from Underwater Soccer Ball – it fits our laundry room faucet perfectly and works with any balloon)


• Outdoor temperatures at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder


• Light source, such as a tea light or LED flashlight


• Round clear glass pie plate (for indoor displays)

What You Do:

• Prepare a cavity form for the water balloon by cutting off the top fourth of a 2-liter soda bottle and placing it in a metal bowl with the spout opening facing up. The plastic top will help form a cavity inside the completed globe.


• Cut another 2″ ring from the soda bottle. This will act as the base for the completed ice globe to sit on.


• Use a nozzle attached to a garden hose or indoor faucet to fill a balloon with water. Fill the balloon until it reaches the size you want for your ice globe. For indoor ice globe decorations, we make the globes about 5″ in diameter. For ice globes that we use outdoors as a decoration, we make them up to 12″ in diameter. You decide on the size you’d like.


• When the balloon is full of water, blow a little bit of air into the balloon and tie the balloon closed.


• Place the soda bottle cavity form in the center of the metal bowl. The bowl acts as a base to keep the balloon in it’s shape. If you are making a large ice globe, use a bowl large enough to accomodate the water balloon.


• Position the filled water balloon on top of the soda bottle cavity form, supported by the bowl.


• Place the water balloon and bowl outside in a shaded area. We place ours on our front steps – up out of the snow.


• Check on the water balloon periodically. Push on the balloon to test how hard the ice is. Obviously the time needed to partially freeze the water balloon depends on how large the water balloon is and the temperature outside, but you want to make sure that the water in the balloon does not freeze solid. You will want the very inside of the ice globe (where the soda bottle form is located) to be unfrozen – this is the cavity where you will place a light or candle.


• When the globe has the desired thickness of ice, without freezing the center, bring the water balloon inside and put it in a sink. Cut the balloon off the ice globe, and allow excess water to run into the sink. If the ice has formed around the soda bottle spout, you may need to poke a hole in the bottom of the ice globe to allow the water to drain (and large enough for a light or candle to reside in).


• To use your ice globe as an indoor decoration, place a candle or small light in the middle of a round glass pie plate (the plate will catch the water as it melts).


• Place the plastic ring from the soda bottle around the candle or light, and then position the opening of the ice globe over the candle, resting it on the plastic ring base. You might need to poke holes in the plastic ring to allow air to enter when using a candle or tea light.


• To use your ice globe as an outdoor decoration, place a candle or small light in the snow and position the opening of the ice globe over the candle. When forming a snow base for the globe, make sure to have openings in the base for air to flow in if you are using candles or tea lights.

Variations:

• Distilled water makes a very clear ice globe that looks incredible. Highly recommended for making indoor ice globes.


• If you are using a candle or tea light, you may need a small hole through the top of the globe (like a chimney) to allow the candle to burn. You can create this hole using a heated nail to melt a hole through the ice. CAUTION: Hold the nail with pliers to prevent burning your fingers! This step must be done by an adult.


• If you prefer, place your ice globe over a battery operated votive candle. You will want to make sure to seal the battery votive inside a zip top plastic bag to prevent it from getting wet.


• If your ice globe ends up freezing completely solid (like many of ours have), don’t despair! The solid globe of ice still makes a great centerpiece or yard decoration! On sunny days, the sun will create rainbows of colors as they radiate through your outdoor solid ice globe.

Tips for Using Your Ice Globes:

• Turn out the lights and enjoy a candelit dinner with your family. Use your ice globe as the centerpiece.


• Make serveral ice globes and leave them on your neighbors driveway as a nice surprise.

You May Also Like:

• Star Ice Lantern (Large)


• Star Ice Lantern (Small)


• Ice Lantern with Base


• Ice Lantern / Dessert Mold

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

Decorate your yard with these beautiful ice ornaments this
Winter!

Children (and adults) have fun making them, and they add beauty to a Wintery landscape.

Click Winter Ice Ornaments for our complete instructions and additional ideas.

Create a bunch of ice ornaments and hang them throughout your yard and neighborhood. Your friends and neighbors will love these icy surprises hanging from their trees!

Be creative, and have fun!

Living in Minnesota, we love snow! We pretty much have to love it, since it is generally here from November through April.

My kids and I brainstormed today and made a list of all the things we love to do in the snow (in no particular order) – and we thought we’d share this list with you.

• Luge Tracks – We have a nice sized hill in our yard that makes a zippy luge track! We shovel a path in the snow and build up the sides of the track. Armed with a spray tank full of water, we ice the luge track down at night and let it freeze to a smooth, slick surface. When the track is ready, it’s time to grab the sleds and hold on tight! A luge track can be created in any backyard – just shovel snow into a hill, create the track, and ice it down.
• Build Snow Forts – Ah… snow forts. Probably one of my favorite snow activities. Our snow forts include bedrooms (with snow beds), livingrooms (with snow furniture), and kitchens (complete with all the appliances). We haven’t made a snow bathroom yet, but I image that could be fun!
• Annual Snowmen Challenge – Every year I challenge my boys to create 100 miniature snowmen in our front yard. This is so much fun, and the results put a smile on the faces of everyone who sees all our snowmen. I wrote a separate blog post about this at Snowmen Challenge – check it out!
• Snowball Fights – What is winter without good old-fashioned snowball fights?!?! We like to create snow bunkers to hide behind, build up an arsenal of snowballs, then let the flinging begin! Yes, this can be somewhat dangerous, but our rule is – no head shots! We aim for chest or lower. We leave no man behind. Hooyah!
• Sledding – This is the MANDATORY snow activity! Whether you create a hill in your own yard, or head to a local sliding hill, this is one activity that absolutely must be done during winter… and often! We especially like building jumps on the hills for us to fly over! Nothing like defeating gravity – if only for a few moments. This also makes for some spectacular crash footage.
• Snowboarding – This is so much fun! Strap the board to your feet and off you go! 360’s, jumps, and freestyle will certainly keep you warm while on the slopes!
• Riding in a Sled Behind 4-Wheel ATV – Nothing quite like tying a large ice fishing sled to the ATV and pulling the boys around the yard through the snow! Figure 8’s, spirals, and tight corners are so much fun! Speed is not a necessity – little more than walking speed is enough. It’s the twisty-turny action that they love!
• Skating and Playing Pond Hockey – Strap on those skates and head to the pond – hockey at it’s finest! Yes, indoor ice rinks are cool, but pond skating is one of the best experiences ever! And hockey played outdoors is absolutely the purest form of the sport, in our opinion.
• Snow Bowling – Our kids have been snow bowling for years! I wrote a separate article on how to do this at Snow Bowling – get your game started today!
• Track and Snow – Jumping snow hurdles and racing with each other (especially in all our snow gear) is a lot of fun! Check out our Track and Snow article on what we do!
• Shoveling Snow – WHAT?!? No, we actually hate shoveling snow. We just wanted to see if you were still paying attention. Move along.
• Snow Mazes – When the snow is especially deep (24″ inches or more), I LOVE to make snow mazes for our boys! I shovel paths in our yard that weave in and out and intertwine to create extravagant labyrinths in the snow. Just try to find your way out!
• Snow Painting – Snow painting is such a fun way to express yourself. All that pure white snow – it’s an open canvas just waiting for ideas! In addition to painting the snow with our Snow Painting Kit, we also like to line up on one end of our yard, each with a different color of snow paint. We each walk across the yard, creating a snow painted path behind us as we walk – the more curves, spirals, and backtracks, the better! Once we have all created our paths to the other side of the yard, we step over to someone else’s path and then have to follow that path back to the house. Talk about mass confusion and fun!
• Snow “Marble” Runs – Our kids absolutely love marble runs! So much so, that they have been building marble runs out of snow in our yard. Rather than using marbles, we use pinky balls to send down the runs. Just pile a bunch of snow to form a “mountain” and then carve a path for the pinky ball to follow as it makes its descent down the path. The first ball down, wins! Rube Goldberg would be pleased!
• Igloo Building – Every year, we make at least one igloo that our entire family can fit inside. The Eskimold Igloo Brick Makers are a winter staple around here. These things make building igloos a breeze! Maybe this winter, we’ll sleep overnight in our igloo.
• Launch Snowballs – My boys love to launch things (go figure)! We built a large catapult based on the Catapult Kit instructions. We set this catapult on the long driveway and launch snowballs to see who can launch theirs the furthest! What fun!
• Snowball Target Practice – My kids are really into precision and love to throw snowballs at targets. They make a series of snowmen or snow shapes on one side of the yard, then throw snowballs at these shapes to see who can knock down the most shapes in three throws. Arcade games at home!
• Build Snow Cities – Why stop at a snow fort? We build snow cities! Sometimes the cities consist of houses, garages, and roads connecting them. Other times the cities consist of skyscrappers and sky walks. Let your imagination loose and create snow cities of your favorite places to visit!
• Snow “Crop Circles” – We think crop circles are cool, especially when they are made by us… in the snow! Yes, the Aztec people had awesome designs carved into the land, but I bet none of them ever wrote “I Love You Mom!” in HUGE letters in their backyards! Hearts stomped into the snow, and colored with red snow paint sends the message loud and clear!
• Snow Pyramids – This was a really fun challenge a few years back, to create a pyramid that would last throughout the winter. The boys made snow bricks with our Mega Brick Maker and then carefully positioned the bricks to form a pyramid that was taller than my husband! Egyptian architects would have been proud of our precision.
• Snow Tic-Tac-Toe – This is such a fun game to play, especially when licking a clean snowball! Just draw a tic-tac-toe grid in the snow and use snowballs and snowsquares (snowballs formed into squares) as your playing pieces.
• Snow Totem Poles – While we love the typical snowman, snow totems are even more fun! Stack snow squares until you have the height you desire. Use your hands or plastic knives to carve the details into your totem poles. Be creative and have fun!
• Snow Stonehenge and Easter Island – There is nothing more intriguing than to see a replica of Stonehenge or the gigantic faces of Easter Island in your backyard – made of snow, of course! Pile snow, carve away, then sit back and enjoy!
• Snow Houses and Castles – Our snow houses and castles don’t have ceilings, but we build the tallest walls possible and include all the amenities you would find in a house or castle. Sometimes we spray them with water so they freeze solid and last almost all winter long!
• Skiing (Both Downhill and Cross-Country) – Zip down the slopes or across a field with skis straped to your feet! The feeling of cold air on your face is exhilarating!
• Snow Tracks – We have a lot of outdoor creatures where we live. It is a lot of fun to head outside in the fresh snow and track the animals that have visited us. Rabbits, coyotes, squirrels, mice and more! The snow allows the tracks to be preserved for us to see. It’s also fun to follow the tracks to see where the animals go!
• Fox and Geese – This classic game in the snow is fun for our entire family! Click Fox and Geese for complete details on how to play this game.
• Snow Sculptures (Especially LARGE Sculptures) – I’ve already mentioned Stonehenge and Easter Island figures, but why stop there? One year, I created the tallest snowman ever! It was so tall, I had to build snow steps up the back of the snowman just to finish off it’s head! Build big!
• Snow Caves and Tunnels – You know all the snow that gets piled along the sides of the driveway from shoveling? Well, these huge piles make perfect mountains to carve out caves and tunnels! Of course, we want our kids to be safe and not have the cave collapse on them, so we monitor this activity closely – and never let them play in the tunnels alone. Carving out a cave with tunnels is such a fun activity for kids! If you don’t have a lot of snowfall, make your own piles by shoveling snow to form a large hill. Then, start digging!
• Snow Lanterns – Snow lanterns make snow play at night more fun! Make snowballs and then stack them to form a pyramid. Before you place the last snowball in place, position a flashlight, glow stick or votive candle inside the snow pyramid, then place the last snowball on top. The light will seep through the cracks of your snow pryamid and make the most beautiful glowing lantern in your yard! Make dozens of these snow lanterns when you are hosting a snow party in your yard!
• Snow Hide and Seek – My kids like to take the typical game of Hide and Seek to a different level. The seeker counts to 100 while all the hiders run off and hide. The upside to this game of “snow” hide and seek, is that the seeker can follow the tracks to find the hiders. But… if the hiders are smart, they will make their tracks almost impossible to follow!
• Snow Angels – Yes… snow angels are still one of the simplest pleasures of playing in the fresh snow. Just walk out into your yard, flop onto your back, and start swishing your arms and legs to form your angel. Make an entire yard full of angels!
• Snow Monsters and Aliens – Snowmen are fun, but snow monsters and aliens are even more fun! Using the same techniques for creating snowmen, build monsters and aliens in your yard! We like to make at least a dozen aliens (walking away from their crashed snow UFO) and then put glow sticks into the snow aliens to light up their eyes! Creepy fun!
• Snowball Races – Ready? Set! Race! Make your snowballs ahead of time, then roll them across your yard to see who’s snowball will travel the furthest to win the race! It’s snow much fun!
• Catch Snowflakes on Our Tongues – You are never too old to simply enjoy catching snowflakes on your tongue! Just tilt your head back, stick out your tongue, and have fun! Oohhh – brain freeze!!!
• Snowmobiling – If you are fortunate enough to own your own snowmobile, you know how much fun this activity is! Thrilling sprints across fields and lakes! Carving through deep powder! Touring down beautiful wooded trails! Or just bombing around the back yard. If you don’t own one, perhaps you could rent a machine for a day, or go for a ride with a neighbor. It’s an experience everyone should try! Grab your helmet and lets ride!
• Snow Fires – After you’ve played all day in the snow, it’s time for a fire. Dig a firepit in the snow, gather some branches and watch the flames dance around and melt the snow around them. We like to add several packets of Funky Colored Flames to our fires for an even more brilliant display! Obviously, this is an adult supervised activity.

Okay… so we’ve shared our ideas with you. What do you like to do in the snow? Post your comments, and let us know!

Star light, star bright…. first star, I see tonight…

It’s the weekend! Get out in your backyard and have a Star Party!

Children of all ages love the anticipation of staying up until dark to watch the stars come out. It’s a magical experience, not soon forgotten.

• On a clear dark night, take your kids outside and watch the stars! For creative ideas to host your own Star Party, read our Star Light, Star Bright article. Don’t forget your insect repellant!
• While watching the stars, see if you can spot the ISS (International Space Station). You can go online and see the flight pattern of the ISS, and see when it will be passing overhead! Visit Heavens Above and enter your location.
• Watch for bright, short bursts of light in the sky. If you are lucky enough to see these bursts, they are probably Iridium flares! The website link above includes schedules of these particular satellites and when you are most likely to see their bright reflections. They really are spectacular to see!
• Count satellites and meteors. See who can spot the most during an evening of star gazing.
• Locate popular constellations in the sky. A Glow-in-the-Dark Starfinder will help. Choose your favorite constellation and read the myths surrounding it.
• Make up your own constellations. Draw them, name them, and write your own myths about them.
• Observe the constellations indoors with our Constellation Viewer. Just download our instructions to see how you can build this viewer. Includes constellation templates.
• Remember folding Fortune Teller (or Cootie Catcher) games as a kid? Here is a link to a Star Finder game from NASA.
• To learn more about the night sky, visit Seeing in the Dark, a PBS Program. This website includes lots of educational activities for families!

You May Also Like:

Sky Challenger – Play games while you learn about the constellations in the night sky! Fun for kids of all ages.

The Constellations – Stars and Stories – Read about the stories behind the constellations. A perfect read-aloud for night sky viewing.

Jar of Stars – Light up your room or party tables with these glow-in-the-dark stars. Make sure to see our ideas for other uses – so many possibilities!

Copyright © 2007-2010 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

Our February Newsletter was just emailed to our subscribers. In case you don’t subscribe to our newsletters, we’ve recapped it here.

In this issue, you will find fun Winter play ideas and activities for kids to do indoors and out!

Have fun!

Outdoor Activities

Fox and Geese Outdoor Winter Game – You might remember playing this game as a kid in your own backyard. It is a very active game of winter tag! This article shows you how to play.

Track and Snow – This fun outdoor winter activity will get your kids running and jumping over snow hurdles!

Snow Bowling – Snow Bowling is one of our favorite winter things to do! Use sticky snow to form your bowling alley, create large snowballs, and get ready to have fun!

Indoor Activities

Marshmallow Snow Sculptures – This activity is fun for kids, and tastes good, too!

Indoor Snowball Fight – This activity gets kids moving and provides lots of laughter!

Penny Hockey – With the Winter Olympics starting today, start practicing your hockey moves with this fast moving game!

Create Ice Spikes – Create some really amazing ice cubes with this activity.

Outside the Box – Creative Thinking Activity

Do you really know how creative your kids are? Ask them our Creative Thinking activity for this month to find out:

The Winter Olympics are looking for a new Winter sport and it’s up to you to create this new event! What is the event called? What are the rules? How will it be judged? Where will it be played?

Have your child write or draw pictures of their ideas!

Website Links

Make-a-Flake – Create snowflakes online and save the patterns to your computer. Fun for kids and adults!

2010 Winter Olympics – Visit the official website of the 2010 Winter Olympics for information on all the sports and ahtletes. Make sure to check out the Educational Programs available through this website – perfect for home education or classrooms.

Free Printables

February Calendar – Customize your own calendar for February!

February Sketch and Tell™ – Download this activity sheet for your kids to express themselves!

Subscribe!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter – Click this link to read more about our newsletters and to subscribe.

Fun Winter Products

Polar Explorers for Kids – Historic Expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic with 21 Activities.

Snow Sounds – Sweep, crunch, swoosh, scrape . . . An Onomatopoeic Story

Snowflake Bentley – From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal.

Eskimold Igloo Brick Maker – Make perfect igloos that you can play in with this unique snow brick maker!

Snowman Maker – Create Snowmen, Snow Characters, Forts and Igloos with this high-quality mold.

Mega Snow Brick Maker – Create cool forts in your backyard with this mega-sized snow brick maker!

The Original SnoBaller – Make perfect snowballs everytime with this cool gadget!

Snow Scoop – Winter play is so much fun with this scoop! Perfect for all kinds of snow.

Star Ice Lantern – Create winter ice lanterns in the shape of a star.

There is still time to surprise your kids with our cool Party Crackers! They are very easy to make, require very few supplies — and kids of all ages think they are so much fun!

For complete instructions and ideas, read our How to Make New Year’s Eve Party Crackers article.

We wish you and your families a fantastic, fun-filled New Year!

Now get crackin’ on those party favors….

Party Cracker Filler Ideas

• LaQ Mono – Open a box of LaQ building pieces and place the pieces inside your party cracker. These building pieces make a fun rattle-sound inside the crackers before they are opened. (Several different LaQ sets are available).


• ZOOB Tube – Use colorful pieces of ZOOB building sets for a filler! Kids can begin building models as soon as their party crackers are opened.


• UberStix – UberStix make a unique party cracker filler! Download the instructions on how to build a catapult using these pieces for even more fun!


• Puzzle Calendar – Place pieces from our Puzzle Calendar into the party crackers for a “timeless” surprise! Perfect for keeping track of the New Year!


• Vinyl Magnets – Use our Vinyl Magnet set to create your own custom magnets to use as a favor filler. You could write words that describe what you like about the gift recipient, wishes for a new year, or even leave the magnets blank and let your kids create their own word tiles.


• Blank Dice – Use our set of blank dice to create a custom game. For example, you could write action words on one die and put numbers on the other die. When the gift recipient rolls the dice, they must do the selected action how ever many times the number die specifies. Be creative!


• Thinkets Game – Use the pieces from a Thinkets game as a filler for your party crackers. Encourage your kids to create their own stories based on these cool trinkets.


• Can O Worms – Place several worms from this game into each party cracker. When all the guests have opened their favors, encourage them to play the Can O Worms game!


• Classic Jax Game – Open a package of Jax and place the pieces in the crackers. A classic prize!


• Jar of Stars – Add several glow-in-the-dark stars to your favors for a cosmic surprise!


• Glow Stick – Light up the night with a glow stick party favor!


• Spectra Stone – Calculate your “mood” based on the color of the cool Spectra Stone! A fun surprise to add to your party cracker.


• Touchable Bubbles – Get the party going with these way-cool touchable, long-lasting bubbles! A perfect party favor!