Jonah has been asking since October to have a snowball fight. He wants to go sledding, build a snowman, go ice skating, and above all: have a snowball fight.

The problem is, we haven’t had much snow this year. In November, we were able to go outside and enjoy a light dusting; other than that, the only snow we have gotten has been in conjunction with temperatures in the teens. It is followed by warm weather which immediately reduces the beautiful snow into muddy slushy sludge.

So now that the snow is falling heavily outside of our window, and little voices are asking to go out, what do I do considering that it is 18 degrees F?

We have a snowball fight, of course! One that requires no gloves or bulky coats that restrict movement, and it provides gross motor opportunities as well as tactile sensory integration!

Over the summer, I picked up some shower loofahs at the dollar store, 4 for $1. I bought twelve of them specifically for this activity, so I made sure that they were at least partially white (they had no all-white loofahs).

I did not show the loofahs to the kids, but instead, played up the idea that we are going to have a “snowball fight.” I asked them if they wanted to have a snowball fight INside, because it was too cold to go OUTside. Of course, the idea thrilled them. I brought them up to our play area, which is a nice spacious area with very little that can be knocked over or broken. If you do this in your living room, please remove any lamps, knick knacks, or pictures that could be broken.

I dumped the bag of “snowballs” onto the floor. The kids stared at me. (more…)