The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 22

J2 Sunday, December 19, 1999 The Pantagraph Snow activities to make the most of kids' winter fun Karen Stephens rt 11 cold compared to warm weather. (Hint: Kid's warm breath makes the bubbles lighter than the cold air around them, so they rise up.) Wolf play. It's hard work traveling in deep snow, so wolves travel in a single line. The leader makes tracks that all the others step into, thus they conserve energy. Kids can do the same.

Children can take turns being wolf pack leader. The others have to follow stepping exactly into the leader's tracks. Train play. Kids can pretend to be steam engines by puffing out their warm breath to create "smoke" in the cold air. Make "train tracks" all over the yard.

Snow crystals. Provide a square of black velvet or a piece of black construction paper for kids to catch snowflakes on. When a few are caught, examine them with a magnifying glass. Once back inside and warm, read about snow's most famous photographer in "Snowflake Bentley," by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Snow shadows.

On a sunny day, walk in the snow. Notice all the shadows on the snow. Can the kids make their own shadows dance and take on different shapes? Snow gauge. Clean a plastic jar with a wide opening, like a mayonnaise jar. Vertically along the side, attach a strip of masking tape.

With a permanent marker, mark off inches on the masking tape. Before it snows, place the jar on level ground outside. After the snow stops, go out and see how many inches fell. Snow caves. After a good snow, let kids use child-sized snow shovels to build caves into the sides of snowdrifts.

To make it co zier, provide a blanket for the cave's floor. Measure snows drifts. Give the kids yardsticks, paper and pencil and let them go around the yard measuring and recording the size of the snow drifts. Can they figure out why some drifts are larger than others? Tunnel. When inches really build up, kids can make underground tunnels to maneuver.

Icy sun catchers. These ice sun catchers hang from trees, sending sparkles onto the snow. You need freezing temps outside for this activity. Fill aluminum pie tins with water. In the water-filled tins, children can place nature finds, like leaves, feathers, tiny pine cones, acorns, etc.

Create a 4- inch circle with thin wire. To create a hook for hanging the sun catcher, place the wire halfway into the water, along the edge of the pie tin. Place the tins outside a window where the kids can keep an eye on the freezing water. Once frozen, invert pans and pour a little water on the back to release the ice sun catcher. Hang from trees to enjoy as long as freezing temps last.

Snow angels. Don't ever miss a chance to make snow angels. Lay on your back in the snow. Across the snow, flap your arms up and down, and your legs open and shut to create angel wings. The heavens above will surely appreciate looking down on the site.

And there's no doubt that the neighbors will get one heck of a chuckle out of it! Karen Stephens, M.S., is director of the Illinois State University Child Care Center, and an instructor in ISU's Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. By KAREN STEPHENS .1 may just be getting old and nostalgic, but it seems like we got more snow when I was growing up. And when it did snow, we seemed to get more of it. It made for many fond memories. Snow forts and an open field for building a village of snowmen provided endless hours of entertainment.

(Though I did hate the itch of those woolly snow pants!) Today, it seems parents are afraid to let kids play out in the snow, thinking it makes them sick. Actually, though, outdoor play gets kids away from the denser concentration of germs that lurk indoors, i The key to preventing illness is to make sure kids are well dressed during snow play, and that they aren't left outside for hours at a time. Hats, coats, mittens (that nepel rather than absorb wetness,) snow pants and good-fitting socks and boots do the trick. Snow play is great for kids' physical as well as mental health. And today you'll see how it can be a great outlet for their creativity, too.

The ground is bare as I write, but I'm hoping snow arrives soon so the kids can try out some of the following ideas! SNOW SCULPTURES. Ah, yes, snow guys (and gals) are perennial favorites of those who love snow's packing possibilities. But don't stop at snow people. Make snow creatures, too, like cats, dogs, squirrels and rabbits. When kids line up three snowballs, they have a caterpillar! Or create a porcupine by sticking clumps of Cine needles all over a small snow body.

With a lot of snow, go for a whale or even dinosaur! (Kid- and adult-size snow shovels come in handy when making larger- scale creations.) Use your imagination and go wild decorating your sculptures with colorful spare items you scrounge around the garage, kitchen and sewing box. Try sunflower seeds, aluminum pie tins, lids to pots, corn kernels and cobs, boxing gloves, snow shoes, old skis and poles, tennis rackets, watering cans, vegetables (like beets, green peppers, eggplant) pine cones, wacky hats, ribbons, bottle caps, marbles, buttons, walnuts, feather boas and tree branches. Water-painting snow. Fill a spray bottle with water and a heavy dose of food coloring. Provide as many different bottles and colors as you choose.

Let kids spray paint the snow landscape. Painting snow sculptures with a spray bottle is fun, too. Heck, even plastic eye droppers can be used to "paint" with colored water. Truck play. Let the kids use jumbo toy bulldozers and dump trucks to "plow" roads in the yard.

Provide old shoe boxes and markers so they can create houses to set along their plowed roads. Miniature plastic people, toy cars and animals can populate their town. Fir tree branches stuck in the snow can create trees. Casting colors. Give kids several large sheets of different colored cellophane or plastic report covers (available at office supply stores.) As kids hold up the colored sheets, the sun shines through them, casting lovely color onto the blanket of snow.

Kids also can overlap two colors to create a third. Snow designs. Bring out the small sand Keeping the Younq at Heart rakes that make straight, zigzag or curved designs in sand. With a light, powdery snow, kids can make snow-top designs with them, too. (Homemade rakes can be made from 12-inch squares of cardboard.

Using scissors, cut different designs along each edge of the square. Kids drag the square across the snow to make designs.) Snow prints. Give the kids different types of objects to make prints in the snow. Ice cube trays create rows of squares. Old-fashioned potato mashers create either square grids or wavy curves, depending on type.

Old boots or rubber sandals with interesting tread designs can be used for printing, too. Snow painting. Line several old cookie sheets with slightly moistened paper towels. In each sheet, pour a different color of water-based tempera paint. Spread the paint over the paper towels with a brush or spatula.

Give kids a variety of cookie cutters. They press the cutters into the paint and then lightly onto the snow. They leave painted shapes behind. Bubbles. Yes, I mean blow bubbles.

Observe how differently bubbles react in the (I Parker James Nishida, middle-named for his father, was born Dec. 7, 1999, to James and Elizabeth Nishida of 110 Ginger Creek Court, Blooming-ton. The 6-pound, 6-ounce baby is a brother of Kiley Morgan, 3. He is a grandson of Charles and Connie Winks of Normal; Bette Donoho of Salem, and Harris and Connie Nishida of Bloomington. Great-grandmothers are Mary Winks of Alma, and WilmaDillman of Bloomington.

Adam Lucas Murray was Nov. 29, 1999, to Josh and Wendy Mur ray of rural Towanda. The ounce baby is a brother of Andrew 3V2 Grandparents are John and pinny Baker of rural Towanda and Walter and Mary A. Murray of Madison, Ind. Great-grandparents are Arlene Simmons of Bloomington and Malcolm Page of Lincoln.

Dean and Sue Retherford of Foosland are parents of Benjamin Scott Retherford, born Dec. 13, 1999. The 6-pound, 15-ounce baby, who shares his father's middle name, is a brother of Nick, 412. Grandparents are Robert and Alma Baker of Laplata, and Kenneth and Nancy Retherford of Joy. Madyson Anne Hepner is the name chosen for baby born Nov.

17, 1999, to Rachel Hepner of rural Lexington. The 7-pound baby is a granddaughter of Brandon and Karen Hepner of rural Lexington. Michael and Kristin Zapp of Forrest have named their new arrival Jordan James Zapp. The 8-pound, 9-ounce baby, born Nov. 29, 1999, is middle-named for both grandfathers including the late Jim Garrels.

He has a sister, Riley, 26 months Grandparents are Jim and Sharon Vaughan of Forrest and Peggy Garrels of Fairbury. Great-grandparents are Freeman and Ruth Vaughan and Margaret Reid, all of Forrest. Brock Dean Gottschalk was born Nov. 16, 1999, to Tim and Holly Gottschalk of Armington. The El-pound, 3-ounce baby, middle-named for his maternal grandfather, a greatgrandfather and an uncle, is a brother of Bryson Jacob, 2Vz Grandparents are Roger and Cindy Nafziger of Minier, and Royce and Mary Gottschalk of Armington.

Great-grandparents are Rex and Evelyn Barton and Merle and Norma Nafziger, all of Minier, and Lavern Lay of Shirley. A rural Towanda couple, Jimmy and Bonnie Young, are parents of Emma Noelle Young, born Dec. 2, 1999. The 7-pound, 5-ounce baby is a sister of Caleb, 10; Carissa, 7, and Mic-ah, 4. Grandparents are Marvin and Shirley Mayer of Winfleld, and James Young of Toluca.

Roland Cox of Meadows in great-grandfather. Abigail Jae Simpson weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces when born Nov. 4, 1999, to Elizabeth Knight and James Simpson, both of Bloomington. The new arrival has a half-brother, David Dale Chappel, 4. Grandparents are Roy and Debbie Knight of Fithian and Emil and Dorothy Sandstrom of Earls-boro, Okla.

Great-grandparents are Paul and Norma Knight of Armstrong, and Robert and Eunice Wolfe of Bonita Springs, Fla. Bill and Miriam Koons of rural Hudson are grandparents of Triston Andre Leyvas, born Nov. 9, 1999, to Rob and Sarah Leyvas of Chandler, Ariz. The 7-pound, 9-ounce baby is a brother of Skylar Dadiotis, 7. Paternal grandparents are Robert Leyvas and Sylvia Shawnee, both of Phoenix, Ariz.

Maggie Espinoza of Phoenix, is great-grandmother. with you." "Sure we would," I said. "Or how about an Amazing Ally? There must be something else you want." "No," said Gabby. I looked at Ivy and shrugged my shoulders. This kitten thing was not going away.

"Let's talk about something else," I said. "How are we going to document everything we do? Mom says she wants to know but she doesn't want us bugging her every hour." "I know," said Harold. "Let's get a notebook and record our activities each day. My parents would like to see that, too." "Good idea," said Ivy. "I've got a red binder we can use." "I don't want to record anything," said Sam, who was leaping off the couch and landing hard enough to rattle the lamp.

"We'll do it," I said. "Something new each day." So, that how we decided to make this "Countdown to Christmas" book. Read along each day to see what we do. We're planning lots of fun things between now and Saturday. Don't miss a single day.

Together, we'll "Countdown to Christmas." Here's an activity we worked on together this afternoon. You'll be able to pick out Sam's contributions, I'll bet! Cut these blocks apart and combine them to form new sentences. First, take a red block and follow it by a yellow block and then a blue block. Some of the sentences are pretty funny. Tomorrow: Knock knock please, not a toy.

Thank you, Ivy Santa, Game Boy Pikachu yellow version, Nerf Triple Strike, Hot Wheels, WCW Monday Nitro Wrestling Arena, Bears Jersey, a magic set, Star Wars Episode 1 Po-dracer Lego Kit. Sam Dear Santa, Most of all I would like a power book especially the iMac iBook in tangerine. Since I know that is not possible, even though it would be awesome, I would like the new Harry Potter book and the entire Redwall series in paperback. Sincerely, Harold B. Gaither Santa, Please, I want a plain cat.

Gabby I had to help Gabby write her note and it just about broke my heart. I had pleaded with Mom and Dad to get Gabby her kitten. I said I'd help take care of it, which I would love to do. But there wasn't a chance they'd give in. "Forget it, Gabs," said Sam, reading her letter.

"Dad says cats poop in a box and it stinks up the whole house." "Be quiet, Sam," I warned. "Also," Sam went on, "they climb up the curtains, leave fur everywhere and cost money to feed." "A plain cat," whispered Gabby. "Listen, honey" said Ivy. "How about a backup plan, just in case? I bet you'd love a Barbie Airplane. Grace and I would play Barbies COUNTDOWN From C1 "hre you nuts?" shouted Sam, punching Harold in the arm.

Honestly, I don't know how those two hafjien to be friends. Sam is a wild raai and Harold acts older than my dac suggest we make a craft project!" said Ivy. That would probably be fter suggestion all week. Ivy has to drawing or making something or Ser hands get twitchy. "tet's cook something," I said.

"tetters to Santa," said Gabby again, this time quietly, like she knJv she wouldn't win the argument. Harold gave in first. "It's Gabby we're supposed to be watching," he saiJ. "Let's all write a letter. It's not likd it will kill us or anything." "jVrite a letter?" shouted Sam, flopping backwards and hitting his heqd on the floor.

He probably thofght a letter sounded like scheolwork. ifiit, in the end, that's what we didj Here's what everybody wrote: Itear Santa, How are you? I'm fine. We are looting after my little sister this wek and it was her idea to write theie letters. I jjvould like an American Girl Fe-licily doll. I know they are expen-sivf but I'm old enough and I will take care of her.

wurs truly, Grace fjbar Santa, TJiere are only two things I want thi year. I want the beading loom I sa in the craft catalog and an easf 1. 1 want a real, wooden easel, ft To The Communities We Serve jundance Paris Portland Sonoma Ormond Sonoma 1 The first sale of the year is the best sale of the year. BroMenn Healthcare and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center would like to assure the public that we are fully prepared for the January 1, 2000 date change known as Y2K.

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