Wildlife is an important part of every community and your critters should be looked after in the winter months. This clever activity involves making a giant snow cake for local wildlife!

This family-friendly activity is both enjoyable and educational. The idea is to do something fun for the kids as well as help them understand how weather affects local bird and animal foraging patterns. 

If you don’t live in a suburban or rural area, this activity may also involve a “field trip” away from more densely populated areas or even to a local park (check with your city about needed permissions!) 

Things You Will Need

·         Carpool arrangements if traveling 

·         3-5 big shovels

·         Small shovels for little kids

·         Food items such as whole and sliced vegetables, seeds, grains, dried corn, berries, etc.

·         An open area with lots of snow

Ask the parents to dress up children in warm clothes, as they will be working and playing in the snow. Additionally, also ask parents to swap or top their fabric gloves with plastic or rubber ones, so that their gloves do not get wet while building the giant snow cake.

Make sure to locate a suitable and safe place for this activity a couple of days before the event.

Making the Giant Snow Cake

Give out the shovels to children, and gather snow in three heaps. Shape out the snow into a giant snow cake, with three tiers.  Once the structure of the cake is ready, ask the children to top up the cake with carrots, seeds, grains, and berries.

***BONUS*** To make the cake look tastier, paint the snow in different colors with sprayed-on food coloring! To paint the snow cake, you would need various spray bottles with warm water and a few drops of food coloring.

age Source: Friends LSP

Once the cake is finished, ask the children to leave the space and watch how the birds, insects and other wildlife come into sight to have a feast.

***TIP*** Remember to take photos of the kids during and after the activity.

Other Fun Outdoor Snow Activities

Viewing the snow as a canvas, encourage kids to also color and draw in the snow!

Use spray bottles, water and a few drops of food color to make different colors of your own “snow paint!” Let the children get creative and paint whatever they wish!

Image Source: Fun Family Crafts

***BONUS*** Sprinkle leftover food items from the previous activity to attract more wildlife to the paintings and make them more beautiful.