Helping Kids Tackle Cabin Fever

Outdoor Fun in Lots of Crusty Snow! 

This in-between-time may be the most difficult days of the year. One day we get a tease of sunshine. The next few days may be cold and snowy. Children and care givers can feel they absolutely must get outside and run around even for a short time. Here are suggestions for short bursts of outdoor play with crusty snow.

Snow Chunk Relay

  Since snow rarely is really good for snowballs, loosen snow chunks from crusty snow. Make a pile of about ten snow chunks for each player. Designate an area to drop off the chunks and follow a path to go back and forth until all of the chunks are moved to the new spot and a new geometric shape. If many adults and children are involved set up a course in the backyard for teams to run and pass a chunk of snow to each player. Each player runs along the course and hands the snow chunk to the next player. Tamp down the snow for little legs or hold hands with young ones so they won’t fall.

Snowball Roll Contest

   The object of the game is to make the biggest snow chunk during a designated time or when the players can no longer move their snow. Team up small children against adults or place one adult with each child. Show children how to use their boots to break up crusty snow. Arrange largest to smallest, if possible.

Snow Pile Hurdles

  Make piles of snow.  Then run and jump over the  piles.  Help young ones over the piles so no one is left out. When young children don’t need to use their hands to grasp 

So Many Games to Try

something, try putting warm adult mittens on their hands and over their jackets.  This will keep the snow off their wrists.

Snow Obstacle Course

  Make snow piles again and set up a course path so children may jump over, run around, crawl through, roll, walk backwards, and hop around the next.  Help little ones so all are successful.

Snowball Target Throw

  Provide some real targets for snowball or snow chunk throwing.  Draw a target in the snow, lay down a hula-hoop, throw into a large plastic storage container, or aim at a tree. Let children know that they can choose their distance to be successful.

Buried Treasure

Many Treasures to Look Out For

 This is a good game just before returning inside for a snack. Make a pile of snow. Designate one person to hide 10 colorful plastic objects in a pile of snow that has been shoveled for the purpose.  This kind of pile is easy to dig through. Kneel in a circle around the pile and dig until all of the objects have been found.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

Helping Children be Happy Artists

Similarities And Symmetry Help Artists

Objects in nature have two similar sides when a line is drawn down the middle so the sides cover each other when folded in half. That is one kind of symmetry.  It is sometimes difficult and frustrating for children to draw those two sides free hand to their satisfaction. One side is fatter or skinnier than the other and after a lot of erasing they are left with a paper whole and tears.

  Adults can help by teaching children a few tricks with one of the most joyful symmetrical shapes -- the heart. Fold a piece of paper exactly in half and crease it. Draw half a heart on the creased side of a paper so when they cut along the lines and open up the fold they will have a perfectly symmetrical heart. Children can use rounded nose scissors for safety. They can practice making fat, skinny, and little hearts to glue on cards, a string mobile, or trace onto a picture.

More symmetry

 To make shamrocks you can follow the above procedure by drawing half a shamrock on a creased paper. However, there is another way. If you look at a shamrock you will notice it is really three identical hearts strategically placed on a chunky rectangle. Again show children how to make three hearts with the symmetry – fold method. Then cut out one chunky rectangle and glue on the hearts. 

Folding Helps Hand-Eye Coordination

   Butterflies, other animals, space ships, crosses, and humans are symmetrical when observed from a certain angle. People can be drawn this symmetrical fold way by drawing half a person on a creased paper, cutting it out, and tracing the person on a picture. Snowflakes, however, are six sided and cannot be made from a simple folded square or rectangle.

  The folding technique may help until their eye- hand coordination matures and objects turn out closer to the way they imagine—symmetrical. You have helped children get over a little developmental drawing bump..

Emberley Rescues

  Another suggestion, for a basic generic symmetrical human: draw an oval face, a little square neck, and a rectangle or trapezoid body. Draw four long rectangles for arms and

legs, a left shoe oval slightly turned left and right shoe as a smaller oval shoe front. The hands have thumbs slightly pointed away from the fingers next to the legs while fingers tightly fit together.

Try a Step-By-Step Approach

Ed Emberley has more step by step drawing ideas in his books. He shows how to make people look like they are moving, too. Children can also experiment making the limbs bend by studying their action figures.

   If your children are not frustrated or they don’t want to improve at this time let them be. Art should be joyful. For more ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com, wnmufm.org/ Learning Through the Seasons, Pinterest, and Facebook.

PHotos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos