There’s imagination in that-there snow…

It’s January, with snow potentially on the ground, how are you going to keep the kids entertained?
Although in our neck of the woods, we don’t see much snow at our sea-level altitude, there has been some cause for at least being prepared for when the time hits.
When it does, we encourage you to send the kids outside, they probably won’t need much encouragement, and give them a few ideas to run with.
Of course, it’d be MUCH more fun if some adults joined them, and showed them what a real snowball fight or snow igloo fort was like….
The usual snowball fights and building snowmen come to mind but they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
To build something else, various sizes and shapes of building blocks can be fashioned from molds using household items. These include plastic totes, tubs and buckets of any size.
Think big. Forts, igloos and castles are fun to build. For the more artistic, containers like funnels can be used to make turrets and spires.
Imaginative subjects could be works of architectural greatness, like the Taj Mahal. How do you make a top for India’s famous palace? Take a bowl and pack it with snow for the dome itself and use a thin funnel to create the spire.
Wet snow always works best. Dry snow will work, but it takes a little more patience and agility to make your project a lasting one.
It’s tricky building an igloo by staggering the blocks to balance on top one another as construction tapers its way to the top. Go slow.
Snow forts can be a two-phase endeavor, the first being construction and the second destruction as family members and pals choose sides for attacks on the opponent army’s engineering prowess.
To make a fluffy snow project last longer, spray it with a mist of water to create a thin but sturdy coating of ice.
While there many Internet sites dealing with snow projects, a good starting place is www.squidoo.com/fun-things-to-do-with-snow, which discusses in detail everything from snowballs and sleds to igloos and ice sculptures.

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking

A message every adult should read, because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I
learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn’t looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I
learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.

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By Gayle Bryant, as posted at grace4gayle.blogspot.com

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