Go on a Snowy Picnic

Get out your art supplies and make invitations for friends and neighbors. To create a snowy scene on each invitation, try white paint on dark paper, torn white-paper shapes, or glued-on cotton balls.

Bundle up in plenty of layers, and cold weather won't bother you a bit.

Fill a Thermos with soup or hot cocoa to warm you up from the inside. Make your favorite snowy-day sandwiches or any other tasty treats you like. Grab some dishes, put it all in a basket or backpack, and you're ready to go.

Set off for a nice spot to spread a blanket. Perhaps a picnic table in your backyard or a nearby park? A big rock in a meadow or a cozy clearing in the woods? If the snow is deep and packable, you could even use it to sculpt your own table and chairs wherever you like!

Sit down, take a look around, and pass those plates. Or, if you still need to work up an appetite, warm up with some snow games. How about a round of freeze tag? Or "sardines"? (One person hides and everyone else seeks, crowding on top of each other in a growing pile as the hiding place is discovered.) Or you could get busy making some cheerful snowpeople to join your party!

Want a happy ending for your snow picnic? Make some snow ice cream!

Activity by Kate Hofmann. Art by Brian White. Originally appeared in the February 2011 issue of Ranger Rick magazine.