We recently had a terrible cold streak in Minnesota...it was so cold that schools were closed, which also meant it was too cold to play outside. I was running out of new ideas to keep the kids busy (meaning, keeping the fights to a minimum while we were all cooped up inside for days) and then I realized...when it's too cold to go outside and play in the snow, just bring the snow inside! This was a pretty simple project to prep, I had everything I needed already on hand, and the kiddos loved it!
First, I made my paint. I simply filled some cups with water and added a few drops of food coloring to each. I maintained control of the food coloring, but the kids told me how much and what colors to add. This was a great way to practice labeling colors for my little one, and experiment with color mixing and practice giving directions for the older kiddos. I then put the cups in a cupcake tray to try and help prevent spills when all of the kids were sharing the paints. This worked out quite well!
I then braved the cold and filled up three baking trays with snow, one for each child. I gave each kiddo a paintbrush and they got right to work creating their masterpieces on their snow canvases! This project kept them all busy for almost an hour! When they ran out of room to paint, I just dumped the snow outside and filled up the tray with fresh snow. While they painted, we made this a learning opportunitiy (as always!) by talking about colors and the processes of freezing and melting. Minimal mess (not counting the very colorful piles of snow in my front yard now), no cost, and tons of fun! We highly recommend painting snow inside!
