You know winter break may be wearing out its welcome when you send your kid outside to play with his Crayola Sidewalk Paint Sprayer in the snow and subzero windchill.
My neighbor’s 8-year-old spent a good chunk of this afternoon decorating snow banks with a toy typically reserved for warm weather fun. The sight prompted me to phone his mother and share a chuckle. I called, but she wasn’t laughing. Apparently, my neighbor sent her son outside (with multiple layers of snow gear on) to regain her sanity. The kid, who’s in week two of his Christmas break from school, was going stir crazy being cooped up inside, so my neighbor did what any other parent on the verge of a meltdown would do—she sent her son outside to cool off.
Winter break boredom blues typically set in this week. The excitement of Christmas is over, but there are still a few days left before school resumes. If you have girls at home (or craft-loving boys), you might consider keeping them busy with this tried-and-true boredom buster:
FLEECE TIE PILLLOWS
Materials:
Fleece fabric
Scissors
Ruler
White pillow form or a bag of FiberFill
Fabric paint
Directions:
Measure fleece fabric to the dimensions you want your pillow to be, then add 4 inches to all four sides to allow for the pillow’s fringe.
Cut two identical-sized panels out of the fleece, according to your measurements. You can use the same fabric or a different color on each side.
Hold both fleece panels together. Cut a row of 1-inch-wide vertical strips along one side of both fleece panels. Repeat for all four sides.
Tie tight knots along three of the four sides of the fleece panels by tying one vertical strip (from the fleece panel on top) together with one back strip (from the fleece panel on the bottom).
Make sure three sides of the fleece panels are closed to create a pocket. Tuck the pillow form or the FiberFill into the pocket.
Knot the remaining fleece strips on the last side to close the pillow.
Embellish the pillow with fabric paint, ribbons, or buttons.
Related Articles:
Simple Snow Day Crafts for Kids
Sweet Treats to Make on a Snow Day
Simple Winter Boredom Busters for Kids