This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.

We've just hit Summer here in Australia and it's a glorious time of year for getting outside. The days are warmer and it doesn't get dark till much later, meaning you and the kids can enjoy the great outdoors for longer!

Here's a fun way that we're beating the heat this summer, with our very own 

"Shivery Snow"

To make this fun sensory snow tub, follow the easy directions below. 

Note: To ensure it was super shivery, I prepared it the night before.

How to make "Shivery Snow"

Step 1: To make "Shivery Snow" simply follow the easy instructions to make this Cloud Dough (8 cups of plain flour to 1 cup of oil), ensuring to use the vegetable oil instead of scented baby oil. 

Step 2: Once you've made the basic Cloud Dough, add a sprinkling of cinnamon or some peppermint essence for a Christmas Scent and a good shake of silver glitter

Step 3: Put your "snow" in the freezer for a couple of hours or overnight to make it Shivery!

Step 4: When you're ready to play, put your "Shivery Snow" in a tub, throw on some ice cubes, sprinkle over some more silver glitter and add any little Christmas-y touches for some imaginative play.

Touching it for the first time

I added some Pipe-cleaner Candy Canes, Christmas baubles, mini pretend presents, a small Christmas tree and some extra pipe-cleaners. 

Shivery Snow smells great, feels cold and silky but doesn't melt like real snow

It is moldable but you need to be gentle. Why not build a snowman?

You should check out this cool "shivery slime" from Growing a Jeweled Rose

I LOVE getting the kids outside, and during Summer, thanks to extended daylight I can keep them playing outside for so much longer! 

The only problem is that as it gets later, out come those pesky flies and mosquitoes....

However, now thanks to the Mortein NaturGard Automatic Outdoor Insect Control System I can let the kids keep playing outside with confidence. (yep, bare arms and all!)

 The Mortein NaturGard system releases automatic bursts of mist containing a plant based active ingredient. It means that it keeps my outdoor entertaining area protected from flies and mosquitoes without me having to think about it and I can use it around the kids.

More Benefits Include:

- Protecting a sheltered outdoor area of 25m²

- Portable (I'm taking this baby with me next camping trip for sure!)

- Adjustable settings to apply to your environment

- Automatic shut off after 3 hours

- Up to 30 hours of protection from 1 can depending on your settings

My husband was able to install it quickly and easily and since using it we've happily found that it effectively keeps the flies and mosquitoes away from the area. It's been handy for entertaining friends outside as well. No more swatting at our legs constantly!

Your Chance to Win ***COMPETITION NOW CLOSED***

Mortein would like to offer 5 lucky Aussie Learn with Play at home readers their very own 

Mortein NaturGard Automatic Outdoor Insect Control System

to help keep their outdoor area pest free to entertain with confidence this Summer.

*edit*

***COMPETITION NOW CLOSED***

Congratulations to our 5 winners

Michelle Haines

Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky

rebekah @ justfordaisy

Lauren Hopkins

Claudette Andrie

Please contact me with your postage details so we can send you your Automatic Outdoor Insect control system.

How To Win

Leave a comment on this post telling us a Summer-time activity that the Mortein NaturGard Automatic Outdoor Insect Control System would enable you to spend a longer time on. 

If you don't use a registered account to comment, please leave an email address so that I can get in contact with you if you win.

The 5 most creative responses will each win a Mortein NaturGard Automatic Outdoor Insect Control System.

Please read the Terms and Conditions before entering. Apologies to our International Readers as this giveaway is open to Australian Residents only.

Good Luck

Happy playing,
Debs :)

{Disclosure: this is a paid post sponsored by Nuffnang. We received a Mortein NaturGard Automatic Outdoor Insect Control System to review for the post. Opinions expressed in this post, as always, are my own}

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Cloud Dough, Moon Sand, Warm Snow... call it what you will, it still spells F-U-N!

We've been meaning to try this wonderful sensory experience for ages now but for whatever reason I just kept putting it off. Well, no longer, and we're oh-so happy that we tried it!

I asked my 3 year old what she thought the best name was for it after a bit of a play. She decided "Moon Sand" was the most appropriate because you play with it the same way you'd play with sand. 

You can mould it and smooth it and squeeze it and shape it, but apply a little bit of pressure and it crumbles back to flour. The difference to sand, however, is the wonderful silky smooth texture and lovely scent if you use a scented oil. This is where we see the cloudy nature coming in.

I've also seen moon sand elsewhere made very similar but with half play sand added.

So, how do you make it? Easy! 

Ingredients: 8 cups of plain flour to 1 cup of oil. 

***We used baby oil for the scent and also because I was able to keep a constant watch of my daughter whom I trust not to ingest any. In a preschool/school type setting or with younger kids who might ingest some, I would suggest a Canola or vegetable oil.***

Method

 Now play!

                   

 Moulding with the Cloud Dough   

 Patting it down flat

Smoothing out a hill

Maddie (3y/o) loved the texture of the Cloud Dough. She just wanted to keep playing with it and touching it. She insisted on laying down so she could get up close to it and observe as she played with it.

Here are 6 more fun ideas on other ways to play with Cloud Dough for you to check out


We turn our Cloud Dough into super cold Fake Snow!

Familylicious shows you how to make Coloured Cloud Dough

My Small Potatoes uses Cloud Dough for a baking sensory bin

My Buddies and I coloured their's green and added some dinosaurs!

Happy Hooligans took their Cloud Dough outside for a sensory group activity

Critters And Crayons made these HUGE tubs of cloud dough for their amazing Super Hero Birthday Party.

(This looks like such a fun party, you must check it out!)

Handy Tips:

- Simplify- To simplify this activity, make the cloud dough for your child and then let them explore

- Extend- To extend this activity ask your child to half the recipe to add in some extra math. You could use cloud dough in a sensory tray to write letters, words, numbers etc. Build sandcastles with it. Can they build any with multiple levels? etc

- Begin- For your child's first time playing with Cloud Dough, I would recommend letting them play with it and explore it before adding extra tools for them. See first if they have ideas they want to do with it and if they ask you for items. (ie. I was specifically asked for a, "spatula to smooth out a hill.") You never know what your children might think of on their own. If they don't seem sure of what to do with it or how to play further, try adding some cups, a spoon, trucks, dinosaurs, popsicle sticks.. the list goes on.

- Colouring- Apparently, food dye just doesn't really work at colouring it very well. Powdered paint appears to be your best option. I'm happy with it being white. I'm planning on adding silver glitter with it next time we play.

-*** Supervise- Always supervise young children around things they could ingest. Baby oil shouldn't be ingested.***

- Mess- Eeep, this seems too messy! Yes, it isn't a completely mess-free activity but if you take adequate precautions the clean up should be minimal. If the weather is good, I recommend taking it outside as you won't have to worry about it then. Otherwise, we did ours on a tiled floor on a plastic mat. I knew some would come out of the dish so I just made the rule that none was to go off the mat. This worked fine. The small amount that went on the floor I vacuumed up in a second and the rest on the mat tipped back into the dish when we were done. Many people use it in big tubs which could also help contain it more. Don't allow children to walk on it on tiled or laminate surfaces as the oil in the dough makes it slippery.



Happy playing,
Debs :)

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