Homeowner tips
Clever winter weather activities for kids
Clever winter weather activities and ideas to keep kids entertained this winter break
School is still out for winter break. Did you prepare accordingly? You can start by adjusting your Sensi™ Smart Thermostats’ schedule or temperature set points to make sure you’re not freezing everyone out of the house now that the family is home during the day. (If you’re lucky enough to be heading to warmer climates, be sure to set a vacation schedule and use these other tips to save money at home while you’re gone.)
Now that you have assurance on your family’s home comfort, here are some winter weather activities and tips to help you keep your sanity and to keep your kids entertained during the long break.
Winter weather activities for kids
“Mom, why is snow white?”
“Dad, how are snowflakes formed?”
“What on earth is ‘thunder snow’?”
If winter brings a myriad of these types of questions from your kids, this site has all of the answers, along with fun winter weather activities and projects like turning dew into frost or how to examine a snowflake up close. If your kid insists on playing on the Internet for the entire winter break, steer them into watching something other than memes and cat videos with this great list of fun YouTube science channels.
Get Out There!
Do you want to build a snowman? Of course you do. Snow and colder temperatures bring a plethora of fun, winter weather activities to do with the family. Go ice-skating or sledding, build snow igloos and forts, or strap on some snow shoes and take the family for a wintry hike to check out the neighborhood holiday light displays before they’re gone for another year. If your kids are nature lovers, break out the binoculars and go bird watching. Since most of the leaves have fallen off the trees, birds are much easier to spot. Have your kids keep a journal with pictures, descriptions and locations and compare it to the different birds they’ll see in the warmer months.
(When you’ve had enough of the frigid temps, use the Early Start feature on your Sensi™ Smart Thermostats to start heating your home early. This will ensure that your home is the perfect temperature upon arrival to help melt the frost of those little toes.)
Get Crafty!
Build a bird-feeder out of pine codes, peanut butter and birdseed to help with your winter bird watching activities. Use food coloring to make ice art out of water or snow. Freeze into shapes using trays, molds or old containers. If it’s cold enough, take your ice art outside and sprinkle water on them to freeze into larger buildings or sculptures. The Internet, especially Pinterest, is full of other crafty ideas do with your kids during winter break.
Get Creative!
Looking for creative ways to keep active kids occupied when it’s too cold to go outside? Keep up their competitive spirits with a treasure hunt. The kids can get more clues when they’ve finished their chores. Use masking tape to create everything from a temporary racetrack to a bowling lane and have your kids use toilet paper instead of a ball for indoor games. It’s much easier to pull up and throw away the tape than pull apart and put away a track full of tiny parts. And toilet paper, while it can be a pain, is fun for kids to play with and easier to clean and replace than a treasured, shattered lamp.
Another idea is to let your kids organize their books and use index cards to “check them out” from the library. They can also set up a pretend shop where they can “sell” the toys they don’t want in exchange for trinkets or paper money. This is a perfect opportunity to organize a trip to your local charity drop-off to donate the “sold” toy, teach kids how to be charitable and clear out space for all of the new toys they just received over the holidays.
Get Nostalgic!
Make a list of your family’s favorite winter-themed or holiday books or movies over the years and read or watch one together each night. Or start a new annual tradition by making a New Years Eve time capsule. Have your kids write a letter to their future selves, job down statistics like height and weight, favorite colors or foods, fun memories from the past year, etc. Decorate a container and seal it away until next year. These winter weather activities and ideas are sure to keep everyone entertained over the holiday break.
