Winter Fun Day

Our school had a day of winter fun at a new place this year.    We finally got some snow to cover the ground and it was way above freezing for just this day!  How Perfect!

The volunteer workers were there to help the kids have the best experience at every station.  In groups of about 25, the kids were able to try out ice skating, cross country skiing, snow tubing, and broom ball.  Our extra activities were building snowmen, making pinecone bird feeders, and identifying animal tracks.  They even provided a delicious lunch of chicken strips and mac n' cheese. 

Skiing over the creek!

Grade 6 students step into the bindings

5th Graders wait to take off on the trail


A video of the game that one group of 5th grade played.

mouth guards were made on site

The volunteer ran the game and was coaching the kids on fair play and fun.  At the same time he had a watchful eye so that there was very little high sticking going on during the game.

Third Grade Teachers ran the station to make bird feeders.

advice was given on how to build a snowman

Choosing just the right accessories!

Living Waters Bible Camp was a great experience for our entire school.

Crayola Crayon Maker

One of my students gave me this fun toy for a Christmas gift.  I also gave one to my nine year old niece.  She loved it as much as me.  The first day it was open we made about a dozen little crayon.  She let me keep ALL the pour off stubs for my classroom.  I figure they'll be great for texture rubbings.

It does take a small tapered, clear bulb in order to make it work.  It wasn't included in the original package, but the family that gave me mine knew to purchase those separately.  I was able to give my niece one and a spare for her machine. 
I suppose that if a person didn't know pick up the bulbs and then the child got this as a gift, they might be in for a disappointment if they wanted to use it right away and all the stores were closed.

Left edge: cute new crayons       Bottom Edge:  Crayon Bonus Stubs!

Here we were testing out some of the color combinations.  This was great fun.  I loved the stubs as much or maybe even more than the perfectly formed crayons with the tips. 


Great Color Variety!

My advice would be to not overload the metal hoppers that you use to pour the melted wax.  You may also want to chose analogous colors for most desirable color combinations. 

The boys love the mechanics of the melting and were the first to set it up and use it right away.  They must have escaped a photo opportunity, because I see that this photo showed only a group of girls.  I would say the both boys and girls liked doing the activity. 

 We think some of the crayons will be great for seasonal landscapes.  We were able to make great nature colors and one of our mixtures looks like a perfect autumn tree color.  It was mixed with lots of orange, a swirl of green, and a hint of yellow. 

My fifth grade class loves the new Crayon Maker!