The Old Educator suggests these
activities when you are confined to the indoors:
Have
a fashion show with old clothes in the closet Conduct
a treasure hunt Set
up tents in the living room and "camp out" Put
on a concert with items around the house (spoons,
buckets, etc.) Start
a new hobby with your kids - scrapbooking, drawing,
painting Plan
a day at the gym inside your home - put on the music and
exercise Bake
special treats including those for the feathered friends
outside
PRETTY
PUTTY
Mix together 4 tsp. white glue, 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, and
food coloring. Add more of either ingredient to get the
desired consistency. Then, squeeze, pull, poke, and roll
putty.
DRIZZLE
DESIGNS
Mix together 2/3 C. flour, 2 Tbsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. sugar,
1/2 C. water. Add food coloring or paint powder, or for
a great scent, use Kool-Aid powder. Pour into small
squeeze bottle or cake decorator. Squeeze "goop" onto
cardboard sheets (cut from cereal boxes), to make
pictures or designs. Leave to dry.
WINDOW
ART
Mix together 1 Tbsp. paint powder and 1 Tbsp. liquid
dish soap. With windowsill covered, paint flowers,
butterflies, and other designs to decorate windows. To
clean, wash off with wet rag
BIRD TREATS
Make peanut butter cookie cutter treats for the birds.
Take old bread slices and cut out shapes with cookie
cutters. Let them dry and harden enough to spread with
peanut butter.
SNOW
GLOBES
Just in case you don't get any snow, you can still make
your own snow scene.
empty small jar
hot glue gun
epoxy glue
small plastic toy
white rocks, big piece of gravel, plastic tree, etc.
glitter (some of the new iridescent ones are beautiful
& available at hobby stores)
water
food coloring if desired
Use hot glue gun to glue rocks and toy to the bottom of
jar. (Better have an adult help with the glue gun!) add food coloring.
Spoon in some glitter and use epoxy glue to glue lid
onto jar. Be sure to have an adult help with the epoxy
glue also. Shake to make it snow!
SNOW
GAUGE
Take an old clear plastic soda pop bottle and cut off
the top half. Mark the outside in centimeters or inches
with a permanent laundry marker and place it outside in
a place where it can collect the falling snow. Measure
how much melted snow it takes to make water.
Collect some snow in a container and record the level of
snow on the container. Let the snow melt. how much water
is there? Are you surprised at the difference?
CATCH
SOME SNOWFLAKES
Supplies:
Black velvet or black construction paper
Magnifying Glass
Snow
Since snowflakes melt so quickly you need to freeze your
cloth or paper. Have it already frozen and ready to go
for the next snowfall, and go outside and let some
snowflakes land on the dark surface.
Quickly, before they melt,
examine the flakes with a magnifying glass. Many snowflakes are
"broken" and so you don't see the whole six-sided crystal, but
with persistence you'll see some beautiful examples.
BIRDSEED BISCUITS
Supplies:
2 cups biscuit baking mix
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 425F. Form a soft
dough with baking mix and water. Roll out the dough to
3/4" thickness and cut it into shapes with cookie
cutters. Using a straw, punch a hole in the top of each
cookie. Melt the margarine and brush over dough.
Sprinkle the seeds and nuts onto the dough and press it
in FIRMLY with a fork. Bake for 15-20 min., or until
light brown. When cool, thread brightly colored ribbon
through the hole and hang in a tree.
