The Arctic

Wow!  This month has flown by!  We will be wrapping our visit to the polar regions with some time in the Arctic.  We'll mainly focus on the animals that live near the North Pole, along with a few activities relating to winter wear.

Crafts
Mitten Prints- what happens when you finger paint with mittens on?  you'll have to stop by and see!

Snowy Owl- we'll transform a pinecone into an adorable owl

Activities
Tracks in the Snow- we'll head out to the park to look fro animal tracks and make a few or our own

Polar Bear Fat- we got to do this cool experiment at the zoo a while back and we will try to reenact it at home

Camouflage Experiment- how does a polar bear's white fur help him hunt?  we'll play around with colors to see how animals' fur helps them hide from predators or prey

Mitten Matching- using Eva's supply of mittens, we'll find matches and hang them on a little clothesline

Books:
Arctic Animals:
            
Winter Wear:
           

Snow Ice Cream

Jill over at Meet the Dubiens shared her recipe for ice cream made with snow and I knew we had to try it.  (If you haven't checked out Jill's blog yet, you must!  She is amazing!)
We started with a big bowl of fresh, clean snow and then added half a cup of sugar and a drizzle of vanilla.

After stirring that in, we poured in a cup of milk (I used heavy cream because I had some in the fridge but regular milk works too.)

Stir it until is looks like ice cream and then serve.  Yum!

Snow, Snow and More Snow... Plus Some Ice

There is no denying that winter is here!  We have been getting snow almost daily and the temps barely get into the twenties.  It's cold but we are having fun!

Crafts
Snowflake Silhouettes- similar to these pretty winter trees, we'll be making some fancy snowflakes

Marshmallow Igloos- we'll build some igloos out of a tasty treat

Snow Painting- the lawn will be our canvas for this fun art project!

Activities
Melting Ice- we'll experiment to see what the best way to melt ice is

Ice Cube Trick- do you think we will be able to pick up an ice cube with a string?

Cracks in the Ice- using ice, salt and food coloring, we'll see how cracks form in ice as it melts

Frozen Bubbles- it's so cold out, even bubbles freeze!

Shaving Cream Snow- playing with shaving cream is always a tactile treat

Fun in the Snow- Not Just Cute shared this great list of things for preschoolers to do in the snow

Snow in the House- when it's too cold to play out in the snow, bring the snow in!

Cooking
Snow Ice Cream- Jill at Meet the Dubiens shared a recipe for ice cream made with snow that we a dying to try out!

Books