One Very Cold Winter Day

Jack and Jan lived in a cabin in the edge of the woods with Ma and Pa. They liked all of the seasons each year; the flowers blooming in spring, the walks through the nearby meadow down to the creek to swim in summer, and the falling leaves from their maple trees in autumn. But their favorite time of year was winter. They liked to slide off the roof into the snowdrifts. And to have contests with their neighbors on who could build the best, funniest or scariest snow people.


But this winter was the coldest they had ever seen. It had gotten so cold on Christmas Eve during that first snowstorm that everything was frozen solid. It was so cold that the water pipes under their cabin were frozen. They probably wouldn’t have running water in their house again until the spring thaw came. Jack and Jan hadn’t been out side in a week. They were so sad about their confinement that they sat around the cabin just moping and board.

But today Ma came up with a plan to conquer their boredom.
“Jan, Jack come in the kitchen. I have an idea.”

“Oh Ma, we want to play outside in the snow.” Jack & Jan said, “We can’t play in the kitchen. There is no snow in there to make snowballs or ice caves. Do we have to?”

“Yes you do,” Ma replied.

So Jack and Jan went into the kitchen where Ma was sitting at the table. She had a bowl full of something that looked a lot like snowballs, yet it wasn’t cold. Ma had made a large batch of salt dough for them to play with.

“I made warm snowballs for you,” Ma said. “Come and have a snowman contest at the table.”

Jack and Jan sat there making snow people, animals, and other figures all afternoon. When they were done for the day Mother put the unused dough in a canning jar with a lid closed tight and stored it in the root cellar for another day. But Jack and Jan had kept their figures. Ma baked them so they would dry.

The next day Ma, Jack and Jan made some paint to paint their figures with. When the children were through with their painting she stored the jars of paint in the root cellar also for the next snowstorm.

Jack and Jan played with their figures throughout the winter on the days it was too cold to play outside. They never forgot the inside snowman contest they had during that very cold winter day.

~*~

Mothers; here are the recipes for salt dough and home made tempera paint that you can make with your children on a cold winter’s day or any day that you need an indoor project for them to keep them busy.

Bake-able “Salt Clay”
Use cookie cutters or mold Salt Clay by hand, then bake in a 300 degree oven for use in creating refrigerator magnets, jewelry, ornaments, key chains, necklaces, and more.

Stir together:
2 cups plain flour
1 cup salt
1 to 1 ½ cups cold water
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Knead well until it forms a soft ball. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, make the shapes you want, and bake in the oven at 300 degrees until hard (about one hour). You can use food coloring to color dough before you shape it, or paint it afterwards. A finishing coat of shellac or clear acrylic will make your salt clay projects last longer.

~*~

Homemade Tempera Paint

Mix together:
½ teaspoon vinegar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
10 drops food coloring

1. Put vinegar, cornstarch, and food coloring in the small container with a lid [like an old baby food jar].
2. Shake. If the mixture is too thick, add a little vinegar. If the mixture is too thin, add a little cornstarch.
3. Use like you would tempera paint.
4. Repeat this process to make all the colors you want for your project.