HOW TO GIVE KIDS A WINTER WONDERLAND OF ADVENTURE
Greetings from Duke and Daisy, your kids guide for fun adventures with books, nature, and life discoveries.
Bring your children along with Duke and Daisy and start with outdoor winter fun.
This week Duke and Daisy give you ways to share the wonders of winter with your children. Winter is the season that brings its own special excitement to kids of all ages. It is a season of wonder and thrills with the magic of snowflakes covering the ground, the tingling sensation of sleigh rides taking children zooming over the frosty white mounds, and the welcoming joy of your yummy warm cocoa after their chilling outdoor adventure.
Duke and Daisy offer some indoor suggestions to help kids continue their merriment when they come home from their nature winter outdoor play.
After their chilly winter adventures, they’ll be ready to take their cup of cocoa and snuggle under a warm blanket, and a good book.
WINTER READING
Duke and Daisy suggest these great reads.
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
In the bleak winter of 1940, Nazi troops parachuted into Peter Lundstrom’s tiny Norwegian village and held it captive. Nobody thought the Nazis could be defeated—until Uncle Victor told Peter how the children could fool the enemy. It was a dangerous plan. They had to slip past Nazi guards with nine million dollars in gold hidden on their sleds. It meant risking their country’s treasure—and their lives. This classic story of how a group of children outwitted the Nazis and sent the treasure to America has captivated generations of readers.
Brian’s Winter by Ga Paulsen
In the Newbery Honor-winning Hatchet, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson learned to survive alone in the Canadian wilderness, armed only with his hatchet. As millions of readers know, he was rescued at the end of the summer. But what if that hadn’t happened? What if Brian had been left to face his deadliest enemy–winter?
Blizzard by John Rocco
Blizzard is based on John Rocco’s childhood experience during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978, which brought fifty-three inches of snow to his town in Rhode Island. Told with a brief text and dynamic illustrations, the book opens with a boy’s excitement upon seeing the first snowflake fall outside his classroom window. It ends with the neighborhood’s immense relief upon seeing the first snowplow break through on their street. In between the boy watches his familiar landscape transform into something alien, and readers watch him transform into a hero who puts the needs of others first. John uses an increasing amount of white space in his playful images, which include a gatefold spread of the boy’s expedition to the store. This book about the wonder of a winter storm is as delicious as a mug of hot cocoa by the fire on a snowy day.
WINTER ART PROJECTS
Winter indoor time is also a good opportunity for children’s art projects. Creative projects are a process of self-expression and self-discovery. One of these projects might be the right outlet for a creative adventure that may open new doors of interest for your children.
Duke and Daisy offer these super suggestions:
The Krazy Coupon Lady gives you 17 Mind-Blowing Science Experiments for kid
Check out Rhythm of Play – Raising Creative Kids for the best winter art projects for kids and teens
There’s something for everyone with The Moments at Home with art projects from preschools to adults
EXPLORE WINTER HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD
Duke and Daisy suggestions for a world tour of holiday celebrations.
Did You Know?
- The winter holidays are celebrated in many ways around the world.
- Nearly every culture has traditions that mark the changing of seasons, the winter solstice, and the season of giving.
- In countries below the equator, December falls during the warmer season, but the winter solstice, six months later, is still seen as a time to celebrate
You’ll find out all the details in Patti Wigington’s “Winter Customs Around the World.”
