Homeschool Christmas - Snow Day

Today we started making a Christmas lapbook for school. We are technically still on our "summer break" until mid-January, but Aaron has been asking for school. I figured that would happen so I bought the supplies to make a Christmas lapbook before Andrew was born and figured if he didn't ask and we wouldn't use it this year, we would use it next year instead! My kids love doing lapbooks because they are full of crafts. I am not an arts and crafts kind of gal, so I like when I order a pre-done instruction booklet like this so that I don't have to think about it. I mean, I like watching the kids enjoyment of crafts and I see the educational value to cutting, gluing, coloring and such - not to mention being able to teach about something through the craft. But I hate gathering the supplies, doing all the prep work, and then cleaning up the whole mess. Plus, what do you do with the 8,325 art projects that your child insists are all "special" a year after they are finished? But alas, I do them because my kids love them.


Anyway, today we made snowmen finger puppets and made special "snow paint." I had envisioned the kids decorating the snowmen finger puppets, but once they were cut out, in two seconds flat they were playing snowman puppet football with them. In fact, one is lost in some secret football location yet to be rediscovered! Oh, well. They are really having fun with them, which is the whole point of them anyway.



The coolest part of our craft time today, though, is the snow paint. I thought I'd share it with you because it is super simple and really neat!

First you need to assemble 1/2 cup epsom salts, 1/2 cup water, and paint brushes (Hey, look! Mine are in Christmas colors! I mean, I totally did that on purpose...). A screaming baby in the background is optional. Then have your kids draw snow pictures. Mix the epsom salt and water to make a super saturated salt solution and paint the solution over the entire picture.


When the "paint" dries, it leaves a shimmery snow crystal glaze over the top of the picture! The kids were thrilled with the results, and I loved that for paint, this isn't messy at all! Aren't their finished snow pictures lovely?