Winter Crafts
Toilet Paper Tube Penguin - This is a cute little penguin that will come in handy if you're working on a Winter theme, Winter animal theme, or Penguins themselves. I've also shown some options for creating a couple of different kinds of penguins like Emperor Penguins and Macaroni Penguins.
Snow Stars - With paper folded the right way and a little 'cutting edge' imagination, you can create something better than your typical paper snowflake -- you can make Snow Stars!
Hanging Mittens - These little mittens are a lot of fun to make and very adaptable for children of all ages. You can make them look as elaborate or as simple as you like, and they also serve as a nice little winter keepsake craft. Best of all, you probably already have all the materials available!
Winter Angel Paper Craft - A quick and easy paper craft... print it, color it, and put it together.
Icicle Painting - Draw a thick line of glue across the top of a black piece of construction paper (with the paper turned landscape style). Pick the paper up and let the glue run down the page. Sprinkle with irredescent glitter. Let dry.
Winter Stamping - Dip sponge stamps, cookie cutters, etc. into white glue and stamp on black or blue paper. Sprinkle with irredescent glitter.
Winter Splatter Picture - Create a winter scene on a dark piece of construction paper. It could be a cut and glue picture, or something child paints. When finished and dry, use a toothbrush or paint brush to splatter white paint onto the picture. It will look like snow is falling on the winter scene.
Cupcake Liner Snowman - Glue 3 cupcake liners onto a sheet of construction paper to make the snowman. Use buttons, felt, construction paper, markers, etc. to make it look like a snowman.
Toilet Paper Tube Snowflakes - Cut a toilet paper tube lengthwise up to about 2 inches from the opposite end. Do this 6 times to make 6 equal strips. Bend the ends back to flare them out. Paint each strip with white paint and sprinkle with glitter while still wet. You can use specialty scissors to give the snowflake a different design.
Paper Plate Winter Kids - Paint a paper plate off white (skin color) and let dry. Cut two of the corners off of a large piece of construction paper and attach to one edge of the paper plate with the construction paper on top. This will form the head and coat of the kid. Glue cotton balls all around the outside of the plate to make the fir of the hood. Draw a face on the plate. Glue buttons on the front of the coat.
Q-Tip Snowflakes - Lay a sheet of wax paper on a table. Use Q-tips to make a snowflake on top of the wax paper. Squirt glue on any spot where 2 Q-tips meet. Let dry completely and peel off of wax paper. Don't forget, you don't have to use whole Q-tips, you can break them up and use pieces too!
Paper Plate Snowman - Staple one small paper plate onto a large paper plate. Use buttons, pom poms,construction paper, foam, etc. to make the snowman's parts.
3-D Paper Plate Snowman - Staple a small paper plate onto a large one to make the basic snowman. Poke a hole in the middle of the snowman's head and fit an orange paper carrot through it (make the carrot by cutting a triangle of orange paper, rolling it into a cone, and taping in place.). Glue or tape carrot in place. Use black pom poms to make the eyes, mouth, and buttons. Glue two stick arms made out of brown construction paper. Fill in the rest of the body with cotton balls.
Snow Tracks - Paint a child's palm only with brown or black paint and stamp it several times onto a sheet of white paper. Guide them to stamp their palm in a straight line across the paper. Dip their index finger into paint and stamp the "toes" around the top of the palm print 3 or 4 times for each palm stamp. When done, it should look like animal paw prints in the snow.
Sugar Cube Igloo - Cut the top of a styrofoam cup off and hot glue the bottom to a paper plate. Cut the upper part of the cup in half to make 2 U's. Hot glue one of the U's onto the cup to make the igloo's entrance. Spread glue over the cup and entrance. Glue sugar cubes around the base and over the top of the entrance. Build up your igloo from there until you cover the entire cup. If sugar cubes prove too difficult, you could try this same project with mini marshmallows. You can also cover the plate with snow (shaving cream and glue mixture makes snow that dries puffy) to complete the winter scene.
Pasta Snowflakes - Draw a large X on a piece of construction paper and then put a line down the middle to make a guideline for a snowflake. Use a variety of pasta shapes to glue on top of the lines and form a snowflake.
Stand Up Foam Seal - This is a super simple Winter craft for children who can use scissors well. You could create an entire Winter scene using this basic technique. I've provided you with all the templates you'll need to create the seal.
Snowman Mug - Once the paints are completely dry, your project is dishwasher safe, microwave and ovenproof. However it's important that you allow the mug to cure (sit) for 10 days after you've finished painting before using it.
Easy Fleece Hat - One seam is all it takes to make a cozy winter hat from fleece. This is really cute!
Winter Recipes
Pancake Snowman - Put a small, medium and large pancake on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Add M & M's for buttons and face.
Polar Bear Paws - Place a pear half with cut side up on a plate and cover with a layer of yogurt. Cut 3 slices of banana and dip in yogurt. Place the slices around the pear to resemble a paw print. Put some shredded coconut around the paw to resemble snow.
Snowballs - Open a can of biscuits... the kind you find in the refridgerated section. Make sure they are the kind that don't have layers. Roll it into a ball. Gently drop the ball in hot oil and let cook until it is golden brown (roll it around to make sure it cooks evenly). Take it out of oil with a pair of tongs and put it onto a plate of powdered sugar. Coat completely and set out on a plate until it is cool.
Peanut Butter Snowballs - Empty a regular size jar of peanut butter into a bowl and add a couple tablespoons of honey and about a ¼ cup of dry milk. Mix well and keep adding the dry milk until the mixture is like playdough. Roll about a tablespoon of the mixture into a ball and roll in coconut to coat.
Blizzards - Blend together a banana and a scoop of ice cream in a blender. We started to call these blizzards after the kids commented that it looked like a blizzard when it was swirling around in the blender (this was right after they had seen Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer). You can put other things in these to suit other occasions.
Winter Games
Indoor Snow Fights: How about having a snow fight inside using white socks? It's a lot of fun.
Freeze: Dance to music on the radio or CD. Periodically turn off the music and yell "Freeze!" Everyone should freeze until the music starts again.
Other Theme Resources
Snowmen at Night - This is great fuel for the imagination! Just imagine all the things that snowmen could be doing at night while everyone else is sleeping!
The Tomten - It's very comforting for children to know that the Tomten is watching out for them while they are sleeping. This is a Hans Christian Andersen Award winner.
Animals in Winter - This is a great way to explain where all the animals go in the wintertime and how they prepare for it.
Snow Dance - This book is pure winter joy!
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