Coloured water in a spray bottle and a garden full of blank canvas.
For ages2y - 10y
Time available30 min
Prep6 min
Mess
Noise
YouI will set it up, then step back
The best possible use of a snow day, and it needs food colouring and an old bottle.
What you need
spray bottles or squeezy bottles
water
food colouring
How to do it
Fill spray bottles with water and a few drops of food colouring.
Make two or three different colours.
Go outside and spray patterns onto fresh snow.
Try writing names, or drawing something enormous.
See what happens where two colours overlap.
Most activity lists ignore the things that actually decide it
Squeezing a spray trigger repeatedly is excellent hand strength work, and children do far more of it when the result is this immediate. Working at this scale also uses the whole arm rather than the fingers.
Adapting by age
2 to 3 yearsUse a squeezy bottle rather than a spray trigger, which is easier to operate.
8 to 12 yearsPlan a large design first on paper, then reproduce it in the snow.
Keep it safe
Warm clothes and a time limit. Food colouring stains clothing, so use old coats.