Winter Crafts

Stephanie Peterson with Utah Mama’s shares fun winter crafts the whole family will enjoy.

___________________________________________________

PINECONE BIRD FEEDERS

Materials Needed:

• A large, open pinecone

• Vegetable shortening, lard or suet

• Oatmeal or corn meal

• Birdseed

• A few feet of string, fishing line or twine

• ZMixing bowl

• Butter knife

• Spoon

• Scissors

• Pie tin, paper plate or cookie sheet

• ½ cup measuring cup

Step 1: Tie a string around the wider, stem end of the pinecone.

Step 2: Mix ½ cup vegetable shortening (or alternative) with ½ cup oatmeal or corn meal in a mixing bowl until well blended. (This amount will cover one large pinecone or two or three smaller ones.)

Step 3: Thoroughly spread the mixture over the pinecone with a butter knife or back side of a spoon.

Step 4: Pour the birdseed into a pie tin or on a paper plate or cookie sheet. If you choose, you can add any of the optional high-energy foods to the birdseed. Then roll the pinecone in the birdseed until well covered.

Step 5: Suspend the feeder from a tree branch outside.

CREATE AN ICE CASTLE

Materials Needed:

• Empty milk cartons, tin cans, and other large or small containers

• Food coloring

Instructions:

Make colorful blocks of ice to create your own palace. Fill empty containers with water, add some food coloring, mix, and freeze!

Some suggestions for containers to use are:

• Milk cartons

• tin cans (especially coffee cans)

• Ice cream buckets

• Margarine tubs

• 2 liter bottles

Ask neighbors, friends, and family to save these containers for you. You can also freeze one batch at a time until you have enough blocks to build your ice palace. Trim off the tops of milk cartons, gallon jugs, 2 liter bottles, etc. so the ice blocks can slip out easily.

Once the containers are completely frozen (expect large containers to take at least 24 hours), dip the container in warm water to get the sides to melt a bit.

Your ice block should then slide out easily.

Clear out an area in your yard and start building your ice palace with your blocks! Be patient and you can have a grand palace made of ice!

Other Fun Ideas:

• Fill a spray bottle with colored water and write in the snow.

• Buy a kid-sized shovel and shovel the driveway or sidewalk together.

____________________________________________________

The Utah Mama Handbook provides personal, professional and parenting resources designed to foster a greater sense of identity, empowerment and connection for women and mothers everywhere. The Handbook covers what, where and how to be the best Mama in town by collecting all the top Mama secrets. From community services and school information, to places to do and things to see-it’s a book packed with information that is compiled into 25+ in-depth chapters.

To order your Utah Mama’s Handbook, and for other great mothering information and advice, visit www.UtahMama.com.

Add comment