You wake up to the beautiful scene of powder covered trees and think to yourself: shit. You know your work schedule isn’t going to allow for the 45 minute process of dressing to go outside, then be outside for 45 minutes plus, and then de-robe amongst meltdowns, wet feet, cold hands, and slush everywhere. Add in having to clean up that mess and the immediate need to feed the clan once you’re back inside, and your schedule just doesn’t allow for it today. I have a solution for you: bring the snow inside.
Grab any container you have and fill ‘er up. Then leave the container outside (to gather more snow and/or stay frozen) until you’re ready for the activity. Pro tip: gather clean snow. Your cherubs will eat it.
In our home, during pandemic-mania, we have a designated time in the morning and afternoon for “special activities”. I pump them up so they’re excited for the daily activity, and then let ‘er rip. My kids have loved when we bring the snow inside, and I’m usually able to quell requests to go outside with the notion that daddy would be sad if we went out to play in it without him. Then they’re usually happy to wait for the him to get home from work, and I’m happy to have a partner when we actually make it outside.
For this activity you will need:
- Towels/blankets for the floor or surface your kiddos are working on (and extra to have on hand)
- A bucket of sorts (storage container, pots and pans, baby bathtub, etc)
- Mittens
- Snow! And a shovel to fill
- Measuring cups
- Beach toys
- Spoons/shovels
- Kid’s kitchen toys (my kids love to “cook” with the snow and make it into “coffee” for me)
- Anything else you can think of
**Note: my daughter often insists she needs her snow gear on to play inside with the snow. Be prepared for this demand.
When it looks like they are starting to lose interest, I add the next group of whatever the hell I have on hand to keep them busy. Sand toys were a big hit. I told them to pretend they were at the beach (to which my daughter replied “mama this is NOT the beach!” And I was like “I feel you girlfriend; we are just pretending” to which I got an eye roll #threenager). They built sandcastles, sea turtles, and used their imaginations. My younger son complained that the crabbies were chasing him (this happened at the beach this summer) and started running around the house to get away from the crabbies. My older son started chasing and teasing him, and I thought I lost the crowd, but then I called them back and asked them to help making lunch with the snow. Out with the sand toys, and in with the kitchen toys. This kept them busy long enough for me to finish a project with work and make their lunch.
To engage them with help cleaning, I ask them to put any flung snow back in the bucket, and any wet toys on the towel to dry. We get at least an hour of play out of this sensory activity. I have to let go a little while they are playing, let them make a mess and use their imaginations, so I can get work done, too. I bite back trying to control how they play, and it’s fun for me to see where it goes. They always eat well after playing inside in the snow, too.
As with any activity, I do them in stages to try and keep their interest as long as possible, so I can work while they are busy and happy. With the snow I start out with just a big storage container filled to the brim with snow and let them explore with their mittens. This activity can get messy with the occasional toss of a snowball, so I have towels on hand and just think of it as an opportunity to avoid pulling out the mop bucket.
Did you bring the snow inside? If so, how’d it go?
Love,
Twin Mama Wama
