Winter Survival Guide
Looking for fun things to do at home with your kids during the colder months? Scroll down for book recommendations and activities hand-picked by our librarians.
For more virtual programming at home, visit our program guide.
DIY On Demand
Looking for DIY gift ideas or fun activities for all ages? Enjoy unlimited access to thousands of online arts & craft classes on Creativebug, anytime and anywhere! Unlock FREE access with your RHPL card.
Borrow a STEAM Kit
Our STEAM Kits present a unique opportunity for hands-on learning with school-aged children. Use your RHPL card to check out a STEAM Kit from Central Library and discover topics like robotics, coding, optics, gravity, and more!
Family Friendly Games and Crafts
Discover learning and more through a variety of projects and crafts you can do with items you can find at home.
- Holiday Party Game – What Would “They” Do?
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Instructions:
- Within two minutes, write down the title of one of your favourite books or series. After two minutes, everyone holds up their piece of paper and reveals the title of their favourite book.
- Next, everyone is given the same challenge: Within five minutes, choose a character from your book, and consider what they would do during a six-week “lockdown”. What would they do in their spare time?
Example:
Favourite Book: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
What Would Anne Do?: Anne would start up a “side gig” of producing “freckle remover” in her home lab, fueled by the dream of being a contestant on The Dragon’s Den. Warning to Consumers: Anne’s Freckle Remover may cause side effects such as unwanted attention, public humiliation, and general mayhem.
After five minutes, everyone takes turns reading their answers to the group.
- New Year’s Countdown Clock
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What you'll need:
- Stickers
- Markers, crayons, pencil crayons
- A paper plate
- Scissors
- Long strip of paper
Instructions:
Cut two small slits into the middle of the paper plate prior to decorating it. The number countdown slide would need to be slipped through it. Decorate the plate with stickers and/or markers. On the strip of paper write the numbers one to 12. Put the strip of paper through the slits in the paper plate.
- New Year’s Resolutions Hand Prints
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What you'll need:
- Scissors
- Crayons or markers
- Glue
- Construction paper
Instructions:
- Have the child place their hands on coloured construction paper, trace around it and cut it out.
- Have each child make their own resolutions for the new year (i.e. I will be nice to my sister, I will pick up my toys, I will make my bed, etc.) and write it on their handprints.
- Paste the pieces together for a colourful bulletin board or refrigerator display.
- Noise Makers
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What you'll need:
- Empty toilet paper rolls (or paper towel rolls cut into sections)
- Silver or gold duct tape (option to use paper in place of tape around the tube)
- Uncooked beans or rice
- Coloured jewels, stickers, glitter
- Gold and silver ribbon
- Glue
Instructions:
- Set one of the open ends of your roll onto a piece of duct tape and cut around it, leaving excess to bend over the edges to create a seal.
- Once you have secured the edges of your duct tape to seal one end of your paper roll, fill your tube about 1/3 of the way full with beans.
- Then set your tube on the sealed end and repeat the process to create a seal for the top of the tube, trapping the bean inside.
- Once both ends of your tube are sealed, cut strips of duct tape that are long enough to wrap completely around your paper roll and cover the middle section. Line your duct tape up with the ends of your tube so that it covers the edges of your round pieces and secures your end coverings in place.
- Now that your roll is filled and covered, it’s time to make it pretty! Glue jewels into place in any pattern you like to add some sparkle. Then cut pieces of your ribbon, curl them and glue them to the bottom of your tube.
- Fireworks in a Glass
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What you'll need:
- A tall glass
- Warm water
- Oil
- Food colouring
Instructions:
- Fill the tall glass with warm water.
- Pour a small amount of oil into another container and add a few drops of food colouring.
- Give it a good stir, if it doesn’t mix, add a bit of water.
- Pour the food colouring and oil mixture into the warm water and watch the fireworks.
Notes:
Oil and water don’t mix. Also, oil is less dense than water (meaning there is less of it in the same volume) and therefore floats on top of the water in a nice layer.
The food colouring we used was water-based and therefore does not mix with the oil, instead, it sinks through the oil into the water below.
Since the addition of the colouring makes the food colouring heavier than the water it sinks to the bottom leaving trails (resembling fireworks) as some of the colour diffuses into the water.
- First Night Activities
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New Year's Conversation Starters
- New Year's Craft Party
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Get ready to celebrate! Make funky noise makers, decorate the ultimate party hat and count down the New Year with a dance party. Learn more and register.
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