Snow Day Fun!

Today found The Mountain Workshop and all of Connecticut blanketed with 2 feet of snow, making a beautiful winter wonderland. SNOW DAY!!!! - not just for kids, but many moms and dads as well. Just because there is snow on the ground and you would rather not venture out on the roads, doesn't mean you have to be stuck inside the house all day. So bundle up, gather your imagination and get yourself outside for a winter day filled with adventure. Here are some fun ideas to get you started.

• Pull on your boots and take a nature walk. Look for animal tracks along the way, like squirrels , rabbits or deer who are busy even in the winter. You could even follow their path!
• Build an igloo, fort or cave - think survival skills! But don't stop there - build a snow city or recreate Stonehenge in your own backyard.
• Plan a scavenger hunt for winter stuff. Look for pinecones, acorns, twigs, seeds, signs of birds, signs of mammals, something round, something flat - the list can be anything you can think of. Take along a paper and pencil to record your finds or even a digital camera if you have one.
• Make a snow angel then decorate it to create a self portrait. Use birdseed, fruits and vegetables to fill in the outline you made - the animals will love it after you are gone.
  
• Other ideas to feed the animals in cold weather: put out suet and birdseed for birds or decorate a tree in the woods by hanging fruits, vegetables, nuts and peanut butter on pinecones.
• Channel your inner artist by trying snow painting. Use squirt bottles filled with water that is colored with food color to use as your "paint".
• Take sandbox toys outside and use them to make snow molds. You can even make your own zoo, complete with alligators, turtles and snakes.
• Have a winter picnic. Along with your blanket, take cookies and hot cocoa or hot soup in a thermos. Yum!
• Make snow ice cream: Mix 3 cups clean snow, 2 tablespoons milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Blow bubbles outside when the temperature is below freezing and watch what happens to the bubbles. They will form crystal balls then shatter like glass.
• Using empty plastic bottles or empty cans, set up your own bowling alley. Make snowballs to use as your bowling balls.
  
• And of course, we can't forget the old favorites - sledding, skating, snow shoeing or building a snowman. As a change, think summer fun and dress the snowman in sun glasses, straw hat and beach towel.
  

Take it outside and have fun!