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Winter Playbook
Winter 2021Brought to
you by:
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Indoor Play
Candy Cane Oobleck Wonderful Winter Windows
Fruit Breakfast Tacos DIY Marble Run
Pop Up Cards Indoor Ski Resort Homemade Snow
Snowflakes
Outdoor Play
Rainbow Water Nature Scavenger Hunt
Icy Suncatchers Ice Bowling Winter Garland
Frozen Bubbles
Table of Contents
© 2021 KidsQuest Children’s Museum. All rights reserved. KidsQuest Children’s Museum is a 501(c)3 Organization.
Bonus
Shape Scape How Many?
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Candy Cane
Oobleck
What is Oobleck?
Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid that acts similar to both a solid and a liquid! At times it
reacts more like a liquid or closer to a solid.
Instructions:
• Mix a few drops of red food coloring with 1/2 cup of water.
o Note: Be careful with food coloring, as it can stain.
• In one large bowl, mix the red colored water with 1 cup of cornstarch.
• In the other large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of water to 1 cup of cornstarch. • Swirl both batches of oobleck
together, to get a candy cane colored effect.
• Add a few drops of peppermint essence until you reach the desired smell.
Materials:
• 2 large bowls
• 2 cups cornstarch • 1 cup water
• Red food coloring • Peppermint essence
• Baking sheet, tray, or plate (optional)
• Extras: spoon, potato
masher, ice cube tray, etc.
Questions to Ask:
What do we know about water? Cornstarch?
What has changed? What is different?
How does the oobleck feel?
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Tips:
• If the mixture is too watery and not forming into a solid when you pull the oobleck out of your bowl then add more cornstarch. If you find the mixture is not dripping like a liquid, add a little more water. Keep experimenting with the consistency.
• Use different kitchen tools to play with the oobleck, such as trying to push a potato masher through it!
Clean Up:
• Oobleck will last for a day but tends to go bad after that. • Let oobleck dry out overnight. It can then be thrown
away or placed in the compost bin.
• If oobleck gets on clothes or carpeting, let dry
completely. It can then be easily vacuumed or wiped up.
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Wonderful Winter
Windows
Prep:
• Cut a piece of contact paper to fit on a section of your window. It does not need to fully cover the window.
• Using the painter’s tape, tape the contact paper to the widow, with the sticky side facing you. • Cut or rip up smaller pieces of tissue paper. Ripping tissue
paper is fun to do with kids!
Instructions:
• Put out the materials and invite your child to explore by sticking materials to the contact paper.
• Encourage them to create winter scenes by making snow, snowflakes or even a snowman!
• Use the tissue paper to add color, for example making a yellow sun or green hat for the snowman.
Questions to Ask:
• What does a snowflake look like? • Do all snowflakes look the same?
Materials: • Contact Paper • Painter’s Tape • Scissors • Cotton Balls • Cotton Pads • Q-Tips • Tissue Paper – various colors
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Fruit Breakfast
Tacos
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.
Instructions:
• In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon butter over medium-low heat.
• Add one tortilla and cook each side until light golden, about 1-2 minutes.
• Remove from skillet to cool.
• Repeat with remaining butter and tortillas.
• Beat together cream cheese, honey and cinnamon. Slowly mix in yogurt until blended.
• Spread tortillas with cream cheese mixture and top with fruit.
Materials:
• Fruit (ex. strawberries and blueberries)
• 6 tortillas
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened • 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/3 cup yogurt
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Extras:
• Get creative with the fruit you choose! Mix and match or try something new.
• Add-on ideas: nuts, chocolate chips, chia seeds
Note: Please supervise children at all times will working in the kitchen.
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DIY Marble
Run
Instructions:
• Set out a box of different
cardboard tubes and painter’s tape.
• Optional: decorate the
cardboard tubes with markers before creating the marble run. Allow to dry.
• Choose a blank space on a wall (or door) that the kids can
reach.
• Show the children how to hold the tube against the wall and place a piece of tape across the tube, securing to the wall.
• Let the children create the path, using prompting
questions to get them thinking ahead. Continue to tape the tubes to the wall.
• Place an empty tissue box or container at the end of the marble run to catch the marbles.
• Test the marble run! Trial and error is part of the fun.
Materials:
• Blank wall
• Toilet paper, paper towel, or other
cardboard tubes • Empty tissue box or
small container to catch marbles • Painter’s tape
• Scissors (if needed to cut the tubes)
• Markers (optional) • Marbles, pom poms,
or small playdough balls
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Questions to Ask:
• Where does the marble run start?
• Where do you want the marble run to end?
• How can you place the tubes to get the marble from start to end?
• Did the marble reach the container at the end?
• If the marble didn’t make it, how can you change the path of the tubes?
Note: Please monitor children at all time while playing with marbles, as they are a choking hazard. Marbles are not recommended for children under 3 years of age. If you are
not comfortable allowing your children to play with marbles,
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Pop-Up
Cards
Instructions:
• Cut cardstock to the desired size.
• Fold the cardstock in half. • Find the center of the
folded side of the
cardstock. Cut two parallel slits on the folded side of the paper, about one inch apart and about one inch long. This will create a tab.
• Fold the tab up and crease it.
• Open the card and pull the tab toward the inside of the card. This will create the “pop-up” effect.
• Cut a piece of colorful construction paper the same size as the cardstock, or slightly bigger.
Materials: • Cardstock or other heavyweight paper • Colorful construction paper • Glue • Scissors • Crayons, markers, or colored pencils • Envelopes (optional) Folded side
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• Glue the construction paper to the outside of the
cardstock. Be careful not to glue the pop-up tab to the construction paper.
• Talk with your child about what should pop-up out of the card.
• Determine how big to make the pop-up piece because if it is too big it will come out of the card when it closes. • After determining what should pop-out, draw and color
the image. When finised, cut out the image.
• Decorate the card using crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
• When the card is done, use a small amount of glue to secure the image on the pop out tab. Let dry for about an hour.
Note: If you do not have child safety scissors, adults should
do the steps requiring scissors. Please handle with care as scissors will be sharp.
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Indoor Ski Resort
Instructions:
• On the cardboard, outline the shape of two skis large enough for your child to stand on (similar to the image below). If needed, tape together multiple pieces of cardboard to get the skis long enough.
• Carefully cut out the two skis.
• Decorate and color the skis using your markers, crayons, or colored pencils!
• Next, clean out the two large plastic bottles.
• Lay the bottle flat on a hard surface. Using the scissors, carefully puncture the center of the bottles.
Materials:
• Cardboard
• 2 large plastic bottles (soda bottles, milk jugs, etc.)
• Duct tape or packing tape
• 2 long sticks (more if needed)
• Scissors
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
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• Cut out a hole in each bottle, large enough for your child’s foot to fit into.
• With the hole facing up, tape one bottle to the center of one cardboard ski. Repeat with the second bottle on the second cardboard ski.
• Find two similar length sticks to use as skiing poles. • Place feet into the two skis, grab the poles and start
moving!
Extras:
• Dress up in skiing clothes, such as a scarf, gloves, and hat, to add to the fun.
• Create a skiing route throughout your space. • Add fake snow!
• Create mini slopes or a mountain using firm pillows.
Note: Adults should do the steps requiring scissors, as scissors will be sharp. Please supervise children during this play.
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Homemade Snow
Instructions:
• Add 2 1/2 cups of baking soda to the mixing bowl. • Measure out 1/2 cup of
white conditioner and add to the bowl.
• Using a fork, begin to mix the ingredients together. You can also use your hands to mix!
o Tip: Grab the kids to
help with measuring and mixing. This is a great opportunity to
talk about math while playing with a sensory material!
• Add more baking soda if needed. Mix together.
• Once combined, transfer the snow from the mixing bowl to the play surface!
Extras:
• Grab some figurines, cars, or other toys to play with in the snow!
• Practice drawing the letters of the alphabet, spelling new words, or solving math equations in the snow.
• Can you build a snowman? Don’t forget the eyes, nose, and mouth! Materials: • 2 1/2 – 3 cups baking soda • 1/2 cup white conditioner (any brand) • Mixing bowl • Measuring cups • Fork
• Baking sheet, large rectangle bin, or
another flat surface to play on
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Clean Up:
• Snow can be stored in a sealed container or bag for a few days.
• Snow can be vaccumed up from carpet or floors. Soap and water will clean it off of any other surfaces.
• Wash hands after playing with snow.
Note: Please supervise children at all times while playing
with the snow. The snow should not be consumed. Wash hands after playing with the snow to prevent it from getting in the child’s eyes or mouth.
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Watercolor
Snowflakes
Instructions:
• Place coffee filters on a flat surface.
• Color filters with washable markers. The colors will blend after the next step, so images will not be visible.
o Tip: the less white space left on the coffee filter, the
brighter the colors will be!
• After the coffee filters are colored, place them on a baking sheet or shallow dish.
• Using the eye dropper or spoon, drip water on the coffee filters.
o Make sure the entire coffee filter is wet, but it does
not need to be soaked in water or it will take longer to dry.
• Let coffee filters dry. Depending on how wet the filters are they may need to dry overnight. If possible, hang to dry.
o To speed up drying time, take an old towel and
press on to the filters to absorb some of the liquid. Flip the filters regularly to ensure that both sides are drying.
• After filters have dried, take one to begin folding.
Materials:
• Coffee filters
• Washable markers • Cup of water
• Eye dropper or small spoon
• Baking sheet or shallow dish • Scissors
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• Fold the coffee filter in half four times.
• Leaving the coffee filter folded, use the scissors to
carefully cut out pieces on all sides of the folded filter.
o Get creative! Cut out half circles, half hearts, or
create your own shape!
• After you have finished cutting, unfold the coffee filter to reveal the design made.
• Repeat the folding and cutting steps on the rest of your filters.
• After you have finished cutting all of the snowflakes, use a small piece of clear tape to hang them in your windows.
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Rainbow Water
Instructions:
• Fill bottles with water.
• Designate one bottle for each color.
• Add about 8 drops of food coloring to each bottle. Add more as desired.
o Note: Food coloring may stain hands and clothing.
Red 8 drops red
Orange 7 drops yellow + 1 drop red
Yellow 8 drops yellow
Green 8 drops green
Blue 8 drops blue
Purple 5 drops red + 2 drops blue
• After adding the food coloring drops, securely tighten the lids. Gently shake to mix the water and food coloring.
o Before mixing, add a few drops of dish soap. This
may help the color come out of hands and clothing.
• Head out on snowy days, frosty days, icy days, or rainy days. Dress warm and get creative!
Materials:
• 6 empty spray bottles or squeeze bottles • Water
• Food coloring
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Nature Scavenger
Hunt
For this activity you will be exploring the great outdoors! Bring a camera and a bag with you to document and collect materials that you can use to make art at home.
Animals & Bugs
A nest
Animal tracks
Two different birds A furry animal A frozen spiderweb All Around Ice or icicles Frost Decorative lights Boot prints
Trash (Help clean up!)
Plants
Pinecones Acorns
Winter berries
An evergreen tree Pine needles on the
ground
Along the trail
Frozen water Running water Snow
Leaves on the ground A bare tree
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Questions to Ask:
• What was your favorite thing you saw on the walk? Why? • What do we know about (insert nature object here)? • What do we want to learn about (insert object here)? • What was something that surprised you that we found on
our walk?
Explore Further with Art!
Now that you have collected your natural materials, you can use them to create art. You can try one or all these activities to use natural materials in new and exciting ways!
Painting with Nature
Materials: Natural Materials, Paint, Paper, Paint Brush Use your natural materials to paint! Use a brush to apply paint to your materials or just dip the materials in the paint. Roll, press, lay, and use your materials in all sorts of creative ways to paint on your paper. What kind of patterns can you make? See what happens when you lay a flatter material, like a leaf, on your paper and paint over it with a brush. What is left when you pick the leaf up?
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Icy Suncatchers
Instructions:
• Fill your cup or pitcher with water.
• Pour water into the container, about halfway full.
• Place the natural materials throughout the container.
o Keep in mind that
objects will move as more water is added. • After adding natural materials,
fill the remainder of the container with water.
• Optional: cut a piece of ribbon or string. Place both ends in the water, creating a loop to hang the suncatcher with.
• Carefully place the container in the freezer. Let freeze overnight.
• Pop out the suncatcher in the morning! It can be set in a bush or hung from a tree branch if ribbon or string was added. Enjoy!
Extras:
• After placing the container in the freezer for about an hour, or when the ice is partially frozen, take out and add a few drops of food coloring. Place back in the freezer for the remainder of the time.
Materials:
• Shallow container (plastic lid, bowl, aluminum pie pan, etc.)
• Water
• Cup or pitcher
• Nature materials (small pinecones, pine needles, flower petals, etc.)
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Ice
Bowling
Set Up:• Fill bottles with water and place in freezer or outside if it is cold enough. Let solidify. This will give the “bowling pin” weight.
• If using a balloon instead of a ball, fill the balloon with water and let freeze.
Instructions:
• Dress for the weather and head outside!
• Place the bowling pins in a triangle, as shown in the picture below.
• Roll the ball, aiming to knock down all 10 bowling pins. • If only some bowling pins were knocked down, remove
them. Keep the bowling pins that were standing up.
Materials:
• 10 plastic bottles • Water
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• Continue rolling the ball until all pins are knocked down. • Once all bowling pins have been knocked down, reset all
10 bowling pins for the next player.
Questions to Ask:
• Can you count how many bowling pins were knocked down?
• How many bowling pins are still standing?
Tips:
• Number the bowling pins from 1-10 using a marker, stickers, etc.
• Let children practice setting up the pins in order.
• Set up the bowling pins using only odd numbers or only even numbers.
• If it is too cold out, take this activity indoors! Use rice or sand to fill the bottles instead of frozen water.
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Winter Garland
Prep:• If using popcorn, pop it the night before making the
garland. Stale popcorn holds together better when
threading.
• Cut up pieces of apple and orange but leave the grapes whole.
Instructions:
• Place the food pieces in bowls and lay out where you will be working.
• Determine how long you would like the garland to be. Double the length of the thread and cut it.
o For example, if you want your garland to be three
feet long, cut a six-foot piece of thread.
• Carefully pull the thread through the eye of the needle. • Fold the thread in half and tie a knot where the two open
ends meet, leaving about four to six inches of thread on the end. The needle should be on the opposite end of the knot.
• Begin to thread the food pieces onto the thread.
o Caution: Needle may be sharp, handle with care.
Help children when needed, as some pieces of food may be more difficult to thread than others. • Pull the pieces of food to the knot at the end.
Materials:
• Heavy thread or baker’s twine
• Embroidery needle with a large eye for the thread to pass through
• Popcorn, oranges, grapes, or other small food pieces
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• Continue adding pieces of food until you have added as much as you like!
• Once you have finished adding the food, cut the thread at the needle. Tie the end into a knot, leaving four to six inches of thread at the end.
• Head outside to find a spot to hang your garland! Use the four to six inches of thread on both ends to hang the
garland in a tree or bush.
Tips:
• When choosing food, keep the health of the birds in mind, such as cereal without added sweetener or unbuttered and unsalted popcorn.
• Food ideas: o Plain popcorn o Apples o Oranges o Grapes o Blueberries o Cranberries
o Unsweetened whole grain cereal (such as
Cheerios)
o Unsweetened whole grain shredded wheat cereal
o Unsalted whole peanuts in the shell
• If you are looking for more bird food ideas or want to look up a bird, online bird watching forums, or the National
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Frozen Bubbles
Prep:
• Before heading outside, chill the
bubble solution in the freezer. If using store bought bubble solution, check after 15 minutes. If using homemade solution, check after 30 minutes. This will help the bubble solution freeze faster once outside.
• For the bubbles to freeze, it needs to be 32 degrees Fahrenheit or colder outside.
Instructions:
• Gather the supplies, dress warm and head outside on a cold day!
• Pour some of the bubble solution into the bowl.
• Stick the straw into the solution and blow until the bubbles reach the top.
• Observe the bubbles as they freeze!
• After blowing the bubbles in the bowl, use the bubble wand to blow bubbles into the air.
• Watch the bubbles as they float into the air or land on the ground.
Tips:
• If you do not have premade solution, make some the day before!
o Homemade bubble recipe: 4 cups water, 1 cup
regular Dawn soap, 1/4 cup glycerin – mix all
Materials:
• Bubble solution • Small bowl
• Straws
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together and store in an airtight container. If you do not have glycerin, replace with light corn syrup. • If you would like to enjoy the bubbles indoors, blow
bubbles in a bowl and carefully place in the freezer for 1-2 minutes.
• Blowing bubbles on wet days is just as fun as cold days! The bubbles do not pop as quickly due to the humidity in the air. Plus, be sure to check out what happens when they land on top of puddles!
• Get out and try bubble blowing anytime! Observe how the bubbles behave differently in various temperatures and weather conditions.
Questions to Ask:
• What is happening to the bubble as it freezes?
• What happens to the bubble if you touch it? If you let the bubble freeze longer, then what happens if you touch it? • What happens when the bubble hits the ground?
• After you blow the bubble, can you catch it on your bubble wand?
