Sunny Projects for Cold Winter Days
By: Mindy Benjamin
Too cold or rainy to go outside and play on Winter days? How about making Spring come early with projects that bring a little sunshine indoors!
Try these projects with the kids (or on your own) to warm up your Winter days:
Create a Springy scene in your child's room or playroom.
Now is a great time to spruce up the walls with a little color. Trace a simple picture from a coloring book, or use a bowl to trace circles for polka dots, around your child's room. Use regular acrylic paints from the craft store to fill in the design. Try painting your design in just a small band around the room at child height for a dramatic and fun look, without being an intimidating project.
You can also use poster board cutouts decorated with your child's handprints or drawings, hang them at your child's eye level around the room, and voila, instant Spring charm. And a fun project you can do together to boot!
Make a "Summer Fun In Winter" Grab Bag
Grab an old pillowcase or T-shirt, or anything that's blank and of light color that can be tied shut. Let your child pick five things he or she loves about Summer and write each on a small piece of paper or note card. Decorate the pillowcase with colors and pictures that remind you of the five things. Color with markers, glue on photographs or magazine cutouts, or attach ribbons in fun colors. Put all the pieces of paper inside the Grab Bag (if you used a T-shirt then sew, tie, or pin the sleeves and neck shut) and shake. Each day you're stuck inside, pull out a sheet from the bag and make a game of it.
Some ideas:
Swimming - Put on your swimsuits and swim and splash in the tub. Add some Beach Boys music in the background.
Picnic - Lay out a blanket and have a picnic inside.
Sunshine - Sing "You Are My Sunshine" and make up a funny dance. Color pictures of the sun and sunny day activities to hang around the house.
Wrap up a Sunny Day present
Grab a box or bag, have a scavenger hunt with your child to find things you use only (or mostly) when it's warm and sunny.
Fill the box, wrap it up in wrapping paper and ribbons and make a big gift card together. Put the box in a special place for the first warm, sunny day or any special date that you choose together. Drop in a picture of your kids all wrapped up in their winter gear.
It will be fun opening the Sunny Day present and remembering the cold day you put it together!
Have fun! Just a sunny smile can warm your whole day.
Mindy Benjamin designs clothes and furnishings for the baby and toddler set, leads preschool music classes and is the mother of two. Find her designs and fun crafts and activity projects at http://www.wigglesquirts.com/.