DIY Snow Paint 

This activity is a fun way to get outside and be creative! The best part is this snow paint is taste safe & environmentally friendly!

All you need:
-Cornstarch
-Food Colouring
-Paint Brushes
-Paint Pots

Scoop 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and water into a paint pot. Add as many drops of food colouring as you like until you get your desired colour!  Mix, mix, mix!

Once you have all your colours prepared go outside and begin exploring painting and mark making!

Dinosaur Lava Volcanoes

Calling all dinosaur lovers this outdoor winter dinosaur explosions are for you! This activity is a great way to get kids outside and exploring an easy STEM activity.

All you need for this activity is:
‑A cup
‑Baking Soda
‑Water
‑Vinegar
‑Dish soap
‑Food Colouring

Step One: Bury a cup in the snow and form a volcano shape around it by packing snow 

Step Two: Place 3 scoops of Baking Soda, 1/4 cup water, a spoonful of Dishsoap, 10 drops of food colouring and mix it up! Pour vinegar in a separate cup!

Step three: Pour vinegar in the volcano and watch your lava flow 

Snowy Letter Formation

Can you form the letters in the snow? This is such a fun and easy invitation to work on letter formation, build fine motor skills and eet creative with the snow inside! 

Simply scoop snow from outside into your tuff tray and bring it inside, make sure to pack it down to create an even canvas. Then add washable markers (even dried out ones), and alphabet materials and invite children to paint and draw letters!

Pipette Snow Painting

Can you paint the snow with pipettes? Pipette painting is such a fun alternative to painting with paint brushes! It’s super quick and easy to set up, is open ended and allows kids to develop fine motor skills, and explore colour mixing and pattern making! 

Simply shovel snow into your tuff tray and smooth it out! Then pour water into paint pots and dye it with liquid watercolour and offer pipettes. This is a great way for children to explore process art and mark making!

Snowy Woodland Forest

 

Snowy Shape Investigation

Take early math and nature exploration outdoors with this Snowy Shape Investigation! These natural shape viewers invite little learners to explore the world around them through a mathematical lens; spotting, tracing, and identifying shapes in a winter wonderland!

Why is this activity beneficial?

Shape Recognition: Helps children identify, name, and classify shapes in their environment.

Nature Play: Encourages outdoor learning and deepens children’s connection to the natural world.

Fine Motor Skills: Holding and positioning the shape viewers strengthens little hands.

Extend the Learning:

-Challenge children to find objects in nature that match each shape—can they spot a hexagon in the branches? A square in the playground?

-Trace shapes in the snow with sticks or fingers to reinforce spatial awareness.

Snowy Construction & Icy Roads

Get ready to dig, scoop, and haul with this Snow Construction & Icy Roads small world play invitation! This hands-on winter play setup encourages children to explore cause-and-effect, problem-solving, and imaginative storytelling as they navigate icy roads, clear frozen blocks, and transport materials with their mini construction fleet!

Why is this activity beneficial?

Imaginative Play: Encourages creativity and role-play as children become construction workers on a frosty job site.

STEM Exploration: Helps develop problem-solving skills while experimenting with ice, friction, and movement.

Fine Motor Development: Scooping, lifting, and pushing icy blocks strengthens little hands.

Sensory Learning: Cold textures, slippery surfaces, and crunchy snow provide an engaging multi-sensory experience.

Extend the Learning:

- Talk about real-life winter construction challenges—how do workers clear ice from roads?

-Introduce early math by sorting and stacking ice blocks by size and shape.

-Add warm water in squeeze bottles to explore melting and temperature

changes!

Snowy Polar Small World

Can you investigate the polar animals in their habitat of the snowy tundra? Who made those tracks? What animals do we find on the tundra? Can we build them habitats? Who's tracks do we see in the snow? Little ones will love exploring this snowy small world outside and learning about polar animals

Snowy Soup Mud Kitchen

Get ready for a wintery twist on sensory play with this Snow Soup Mud Kitchen! Little hands will love scooping, mixing, and pouring to create their own snowy concoctions using loose parts, icy “ingredients,” and imaginative play.

Why is this activity beneficial?

Fine Motor Skills – Scooping snow, transferring it to bowls, and mixing builds hand strength and coordination.

Cognitive Development – Encourages open-ended play, problem-solving, and storytelling.

Outdoor Learning – Playing in the snow supports sensory regulation and connects children with the natural world.

Imaginative Play – Invites creativity as children create their own winter “recipes” in a playful setting.

Extend the Learning:

- Encourage children to describe the textures and temperatures of the snow and ingredients.

- Add coloured water to experiment with mixing shades and making “flavoured” soups.

-Use frozen ice cubes or snowballs as special ingredients for a new sensory experience!

Snow Piles Measurement Invitation

Bundle up and head outdoors for some hands-on winter math fun! This snow piles measurement invitation encourages children to explore measurement, estimation, and STEM thinking—all while engaging in active play in the snow!

How to Play: Build snow piles of different sizes using shovels, hands, or tools. Use linking cubes to measure the height of each snow pile.

Compare stacks—Which is the tallest? Which is the shortest? Encourage estimation by asking, “How many cubes tall do you think this pile is?” before measuring!

Why is this activity beneficial?

STEM Learning: Encourages critical thinking, estimation, and problem-solving.

Outdoor Play: Supports gross motor skills, coordination, and sensory exploration.

Math & Measurement: Develops early numeracy concepts like height comparison and counting.

Fine Motor Skills: Stacking cubes strengthens hand-eye coordination

and finger dexterity.

Extend the Learning:

-Use a ruler or tape measure to compare standard and non-standard

units of measurement.

-Challenge children to order the piles from shortest to tallest.

-Experiment with different snow textures—Does fluffy snow or packed

snow build taller piles?

Dough Cutter Snow Painting 

This is such a fun and easy outdoor play activity that allows children to be creative as they paint and play in the snow.

Simply fill your tuff tray with a layer of snow! Then add paint pots filled with water colour paint or water dyed with food colouring. Offer paint brushes, spray bottles, and jumbo pipettes!

Encourage the children to paint, stamp, and explore.

Snowy Shadow Play

Step outside and explore the magic of light and shadows with this simple and engaging snowy shadow play invitation! Children can experiment with body movements, shapes, and angles as they discover how sunlight transforms their silhouettes on the snow.

Why is this activity beneficial?

STEM Exploration: Encourages observation and questioning about how light and shadows work.

Creativity & Imagination: Children can create shadow stories, make shapes, or even pretend to be animals!

Outdoor Learning: Provides a hands-on way to experience natural light and seasonal changes.

Gross Motor Skills: Jumping, stretching, and posing help build coordination and spatial awareness.

Extend the Learning:

-Encourage children to change their poses and notice how their shadows

shift.

-Use chalk or objects to outline shadows at different times of the day—

how do they change?

-Turn it into a game; can they make a bunny, a tree, or a superhero pose?

A simple walk in the winter sun can turn into an exciting exploration of light and movement!

Liquid Watercolour Spray Paint Numbers

This is a magical and hands-on way to explore numbers while engaging in outdoor snow play! Using liquid watercolours and spray bottles, children can create vibrant number art in the snow; building early math skills through playful discovery!

How to Set It Up:

-Place the silishapes numbers on fresh snow.

-Fill spray bottles with liquid watercolours and water

- Invite children to spray around the numbers and lift them to reveal the snowy imprints!

Why is this activity beneficial?

Early Math Skills: Encourages number recognition and pattern-making through hands-on learning.

Sensory Exploration: Engaging textures, colours, and movement support sensory development.

Outdoor Learning: Supports gross motor development while embracing the beauty of winter play.

Extend the Learning:

-Ask children to identify numbers and count out

loud.

-Create number stories and have children “rescue”

or “find” certain numbers.

-Mix colours together and observe how they change when sprayed on the snow!

Evergreen Snow Mud Kitchen

This enchanting Evergreen Nature Snow Mud Kitchen is a perfect way to invite children into hands-on outdoor play, sparking their creativity and curiosity! Gather natural treasures like pine needles, bark, ice chunks, and loose parts to create a sensory-rich invitation to mix, scoop, stir, and cook up wintery delights!

Why is this activity beneficial?

Imaginative Play: Encourages storytelling, role-playing, and open-ended creativity.

Nature Exploration: Helps children engage with the winter environment and seasonal changes.

Fine Motor Skills: Pouring, scooping, and grasping loose parts strengthen hand-eye coordination.

Sensory Learning: The cold, textures, and scents create a multi-sensory

experience.

Extend the Learning:

-Encourage children to describe the scents and textures of the natural materials.

-Add different sizes and shapes of ice to introduce early STEM concepts.

- Use natural pigments or food colouring to “decorate” their wintery dishes.

- Introduce early literacy by labelling ingredients with nature-inspired word stones!

Snowy Marble Track Races

Get ready for some high-speed winter STEM play with this Marble Maze & Races! Children will love designing, building, and testing their own icy race tracks, predicting which marble will roll the fastest and experimenting with slopes, curves, and barriers!

Using snow as a natural building material, kids can shape tracks, add obstacles, and create tunnels for a fun and engaging way to explore early. physics concepts like gravity, motion, and friction!

Why is this activity beneficial?

STEM Learning – Encourages problem-solving, experimentation, and engineering skills through hands-on exploration.

Nature Play – Uses natural materials to create and play, fostering a deep connection with the outdoor environment.

Fine Motor Development – Scooping, moulding, and adjusting the track help strengthen hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

Extend the Learning:

- Create a race leaderboard and practice ordinal numbers: “Who came in 1st,

2nd, and 3rd?”

- Experiment with different sizes and materials of marbles—Which rolls

fastest? Which gets stuck?

-Challenge children to design a longer, twistier track—How can they make the

marble go further?

Snowman Painting

Snow Painting Process Art

This process art activity is a great way to bring snow inside and use it for creative painting and exploration!

All you need:

-Liquid Watercolour Paint

-A tray

-Watercolour or Cardstock paper

-Pipettes

-A Scoop

On your piece of paper begin randomly dropping liquid watercolor paint with the pipettes! Place them all over the paper. Go outside and get a sizeable scoop of snow and place it all over your paper. Break it up all over the paper so it is covering it. Sit back and watch as the snow melts and the paint begins to spread!

Snowy Counting Activity 

This activity is a fun way to bring snow inside and explore numeracy! 

Take a container outside and scoop snow, once your container is moderately filled bring it inside and stick the translucent numbers in the snow and hide them. Take matching colour loose parts and hide them in the snow! Encourage children to find the numbers and that many gems.

Ways to extend the play:
-Show different ways to represent the numbers
-Do basic addition & subtraction problems
-Use warm water to melt the snow to aid children’s search!

Snowy Gem Colour Hunt

This activity is a fun way to explore colours and counting!

Take a container outside and scoop snow, once your container is moderately filled bring it inside and place acrylic gems in the snow and hide them. Encourage children to find the gems and sort them in the matching magnatiles boxes! To extend the learning you can read a book about colours!

Children can count, sort, explore and more!

Make sure to tag us on social media if you try any of our ideas and follow us for more play based learning activites, process art and craft ideas on social media @ScholarsChoice on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest