outdoor play link up - snow play

Welcome back to the outdoor play link up party!

My feature outdoor play idea from last week's link up comes from Sun Hats & Wellie Boots (anyone else in love with that title?!). They made a little fort for a hedgehog and learned about hibernation at the same time. What could be better than combining outdoor play and environmental education?!

Head over here to check out their post from last week!

Now, here is what we have been up to.

 

Our first snow storm of the year hit this week!  And I have to say that I am both excited and depressed that winter has begun in Wisconsin.

Excited about the winter fun that I know we will have building forts, sledding, building snowmen, throwing snowballs, finding tracks and much more. But depressed because it means a lot of putting on gear, heavier kids to carry, longer prep time to go outside, wet puddles in the garage and the occassional crabby child that does not want to wear something that they have to.

To help remind me how to get through the not so pleasant parts of winter and snow play I thought I would go through some of my tips and tricks.

1. Gear. Let's start with the obvious, what they are wearing! It seems simple but making sure your kids have the best gear is key to keeping them happy and willing to play outside in the cold. So, keep in mind that if your little one does not like to be outside in the cold it is most likely because some part of their body is too cold. Every kid should have water proof gloves/mittens, tall water proof insulated boots, water proof snowpants (I think the overall kind keep them the warmest and keep snow from getting in), water proof heavy coat and a thick hat (the ones that velcro under the chin are the best for little ones).

2. Getting the gear on. Start young encouraging your kids to try and put the gear on themselves. The sooner they can put even some of the gear on themselves the quicker and easier the process will go. If you have some time and just want some outdoor play time but the putting on of the gear is always a fight turn it into a game. Try hiding each piece of gear around the house, have them find it and then help them put it on. If they find it out of order send them out again to find another one. You can also have them lay the gear out in the order that they think will work the best for putting it on.

3. Time. Winter outdoor play is not about hours. Enjoy the time and don't be discouraged if it only lasts a few minutes. Even getting a little fresh air and some time outdoors is better than nothing!

4. Embrace what your kids want to do! Even more so than in good weather your kiddos may have something specific that they really want to do in the snow. Within reason of course, try to embrace and make possible whatever activity they have in mind. What I want to do and had in mind for our play time may not be what they are interested in so be prepared to drop your plans and take on their's!

Okay, this is a good starting point! What helps you and your kiddos get through winter outdoor play?

 

How did your kids play outdoors this week?

Share your ideas for outdoor play activities with us! Here’s just a few guidelines for sharing.

• Any kind of children's outdoor play is welcome. If it happened outside, then please link it up!

• Please do not share any competitions, promotions, or posts that are not related to Outdoor Play.

• Please remember to link back to this post and help us spread the word about the importance (and fun!) of outdoor play!

• Each week we will feature an activity from the previous week. By contributing you are giving permission for an image and link to your post to be republished.

Comments

[Dinosaursandoctopuses.blogspot.com]

I love all of your winter tips! I struggle with enjoying winter and we don't even get that much snow (usually). I especially love your tip to plan on switching plans. :) I can't wait to see what you do this winter!

[Abbie]

My youngest is not a super huge fan of snow so I am hoping to really get creative with our snow play this year to show her how much fun it can be!
Thanks for commenting!

[Kierna Corr]

Abbie - I understand completely about the dual approach to the arrival of snow - even I got a bit sick of it last year!! But after 9 weeks of it everyday we had the whole getting ready to go out in it down to 20 mins for 26 children - not bad when we started it took us an hour!!! I think if I knew for definite that we would get snow like last year evey year I'd invest in real heavy duty snow suits.

[Mama Pea Pod]

Great tips, Abbie! I also dread the getting dressed part and the inevitable tears that go along with that (it's already started, in fact, and we're not even at winter gear yet, just having to wear pants causes tears for my girly-girl Princess Pea! I was 20 minutes late for work yesterday between the two of them having morning meltdowns!)

I like your idea of making a game out of putting the clothes in order - Princess Pea always love to show us how smart she is!

(The hunting for them all around the house we do every day, but not on purpose! haha)

[D]

I wanted to stop by again and tell you that I've given you The Versatile Blogger Award. If you like, you can find it here:
http://dinosaursandoctopuses.blogspot.com/2011/11/versatile-blogger-award.html

I'm so glad that I've found your blog and I've enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing.