Winter Play Time:
VTech brings the fun of the outdoors, inside this winter!

Brrr...it's getting cold outside. For many parents, November marks the beginning of the bustling shopping season and the bitter, snowy days of winter. It also means that kids are at home during holiday breaks.

When it's too cold to play outside, what is a parent to do? It's time to get creative. Pack up the kids and head inside to warm up with the following activities. Each game or project promotes educational and creative fun that your kids are sure to enjoy.

Make snow "ice cream"

Collect freshly fallen clean snow and put in a bowl. Have your kids sprinkle some sugar in and add vanilla extract (not too much -- about 1/4 teaspoon), and milk. Slush it all together. Add just enough milk to make a nice slushy texture. Continue to add sugar until it's as sweet as you desire. Have your kids experiment with different flavors, like adding fruit or candy. Yum!

Play freeze dance

A day spent indoors doesn't mean a day spent sitting on the couch. Turn up the music and have your kids dance until they hear the music stop, and then have them freeze in place until the music starts up again.

Explore the artic tundra

Polar bears and Eskimos and igloos oh my! Head to the library with your kids to explore the wonders of the arctic tundra -- have them build a 3D igloo using sugar cubes and glue and then imagine who might live there and what its like to live inside.

Create holiday cards

Use your TV to showcase artistic creativity with the V.Smile Art Studio and encourage your budding Picasso's to create and save their own holiday cards. Plug it directly into your V.Smile TV Learning System and through more than 12 games and activities, kids can experiment with drawing pictures, mixing colors and creating animations and even provide an evening of family entertainment with an art creation slide show.