Ideas for getting your kids outdoors this Winter.
When you need to get the kids out of the house, but don’t have time to hit up one of the spots on my Winter Activity Guide, consider one of the these activities closer to home:
Build A Snow Fort
Building a snow fort is easy. You need about 4-6” of snow, a shovel, and some time. After a good snowfall, head out to your yard and build a large pile of snow with your shovel. Use your shovel and body to make sure the pile is compact. The size of your pile should be about 4 feet tall with a diameter of at least 6 feet. Let it sit a day and harden. The next day, begin to turn the pile of snow into a snow fort by carving out the inside like a pumpkin, only from the side (entrance), instead of the top. Use the excess snow from the inside to form an entrance like an igloo or to add to the height of the fort. Smaller size shovels and hand gardening tools work great for carving. If you started with a pile the size I recommended, you should have a fort that an adult can easily enter and sit up comfortably in. Once done, this will be a popular neighborhood hangout.
Build A Snowman
But not your average everyday snowman. Try one of these five designs and be the envy of your neighbors.
Mailbox snowman - Follow the standard rules for building a snowman, but do it around your mailbox. Size the bottom and middle snowballs appropriately around your mailbox pole so that the top snowball (the head) sits at the height of your mailbox, and the mailbox opening can serve as the snowman’s mouth. Be cautious of how fat your snowman is as you wouldn’t want your mail carrier to be upset with you because they can’t pull up to deliver your mail!
Clumsy snowman - Another easy design. Think standard snowman, but backward. First, roll a mid-size snowball, one that would normally be the middle snowball on a standard snowman. That is your base. Then, roll a second snowball that is larger than what you just rolled. This will be the largest and what would typically be the bottom of a standard snowman. Carefully lift this snowball and place it on top of the first snowball. Add two sticks to the top of this snowball so that they are facing up vertically towards the sky. Place an old boot upside down on each stick. Roll a third snowball. This should be your smallest snowball and will serve as the head. This ball will also rest on the ground and be placed right next to your first snowball. The face on the third snowball should face up towards the sky. You can decorate with standard snowman face materials. Add two sticks as arms on each side of the first snowball you placed. The end result should look like a snowman that fell over backward.
At the beach snowman - Place a folding lounge chair in your front yard. Roll up a large snowball and place it on the lounge chair where the seat meets the backrest. Add two snow legs extending from the large snowball where your legs would normally be if you were laying on the chair. If you have a pair of old swim trunks, place those around the top of the legs before you connect them to the large snowball. Roll up another snowball, smaller than the first snowball, and place it on top of the existing snowball. Now you have ahead. Add two snow arms and the body is done and you’re ready for accessories. You can use standard materials for the mouth and nose. Use an old pair of sunglasses for the eyes and add a hat you might wear to the beach. Lastly, add a margarita glass or similar drink to the arm and you’re all set.
Impaled by a tree snowman - Simple yet effective. Build a standard snowman, but on the ground as if it was laying down. The middle snowball should be placed around the trunk of a tree so that it appears the snowman is being impaled by the tree. And arms, facial features, and accessories as desired.
Child eating snowman - Another simple yet effective design. Build a standard snowman. It will need to be medium to large in size. When you have it built, carve in a mouth so it looks like a large open mouth. Then, raid your storage for old kid’s clothes and find a small pair of pants and old shoes. Stuff the pants with an old newspaper or something similar. Put a stick or pole down each pant leg so that it sticks out the bottom maybe 3 inches and sticks out of the top about 6-8 inches. Secure the pants to the snowman's body by inserting the sticks that are sticking out of the pants into the mouth of the snowman's body. Attach the old shoes to the ends of the sticks or poles sticking out of the bottom of the pants. Add arms and facial features and you’re done!
Snowball target game
Take a large cardboard box and cut out one side. Have your child draw a target on the cardboard using markers. Put a 3 on the bullseye, a 2 on the next ring, and a 1 on the outer rings. Take the cardboard target outside and attach it, or lean it up against a tree. Roll up 5 snowballs per player. Each player takes a turn throwing the snowball at the target. The player with the most points at the end wins.
Track an animal
Depending on where you live, you may see lots of animal tracks in the snow throughout the winter. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, and more may wander through your yard and beyond. Head outside and see if you can find some animal tracks, identify the owner and even follow their path. This site can help get you started.
Bonfire and S’mores
Bonfires and s’mores aren’t just a summer thing, especially in Wisconsin. They can be a lot of fun in winter too. So grab your hats, mittens, snow pants, and s’more ingredients and strike up the fire. Invite the neighbors for a nice socially distanced gathering. We all need it!
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