Here in Colorado we get quite a bit of snow at times. Sometimes it’s just too cold for the littles to go outside and play, so I decided to bring the snow to them!

About a year ago, I bought a “Tuff Tray” from the UK – It’s basically a heavy duty PVC tray with a thick edge for mixing mortar and doing small projects, but it’s also perfect for containing projects for little ones too! I haven’t been able to find something similar here in the US unfortunately.

I first filled my tray with snow – it was well below freezing, and even bundled up I was cold! I used a bucket and it took about 10 trips to fill up my tray.

Previously I had bought several water bottles from the Dollar Store, and I filled them with a water/food coloring mixture. I marked them with stickers to show what color they were.

I instructed my daughter to use the spray bottles to “paint the snow” but also that she must keep all the “paint” inside the tray (food coloring does stain even though it’s relatively safe to let kids play with).

My kid had a ball making pretty patterns in the snow.

Not bad for a freezing morning while the baby slept.

Great for strengthening little hands and promoting fine motor skills and creativity!