Instructions and inventory list

A partnership between: WHAT IS A WINTER FUN KIT? A winter fun kit is filled with items that can be used to play and be active in many different ways!

Included is a list of ideas and activities you can do with just the contents of the kit. Many of the items are versatile and can be used in countless different ways.

We have supplied lots of ideas here but your imagination is the only limit! Many of the activities can be done indoors or outdoors, and in either snowy or dry conditions.

So grab a friend or head out by yourself to have some winter fun!

WWW.LETHBRIDGESPORTCOUNCIL.CA/KITS WWW.LETHBRIDGEPLAYS.CA/WINTER WINTER FUN KIT

INVENTORY

Balls - (assorted sizes) 16 Balance board x 1 Bean bags x 12 Bird watching card x 2 INSTRUCTIONS Buckets – large x 1 Buckets – small x 2 1.Play as many of the games and Clothespins x 36 activities as you can with items in the Cornhole board x 1 kit. Some activities will require you Fake snowballs x 15 to use items you have around the house. Discs x 4 2.Many activities can be done indoors HIIT Instructions and outdoors. Hoops x 8 3.When it's time to return the kit, Launcher x 1 please make sure the items are in Marbles in a bag x 48 good repair, clean and dry. Plastic cups - small x 17 4.Check the inventory list to make sure Plastic cups - large x 3 everything is accounted for. Pool noodle x 2 5.Return the kit on your designated Pylons x 8 day, so we have time to disinfect the Rope x 4 lengths items before it is scheduled to go to Scavenger hunt cards x 2 the next home. Snowman gear (scarf, hat) 6.Have fun with it!!! Velcro markers - 15

We would love if you shared with us, some pictures of yourselves having fun with the kit, so we can share them on our social media and to help promote the kits. Please email photos to [email protected] Here is a list of games with instructions included in this booklet. This is not an exhaustive list, as there T

I are endless ways to use the materials of this kit. K

Balance and Wobble N Balls - the Best Boredom Buster U Bean Bag Toss F Build a Fort R

E Build an Inukshuk with Ice

T Classic Marbles

N Cornhole I Cup Construction W

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

E Family Friendly 7 Min HIIT H Fox and Goose T

Freeze Dance Party H Hoop Lasso Challenge T

I Hot and Cold

W Make Homemade Snow Penguin Walk Y Skipping Rope A

L Snow Blower

P Snow Track Marble Race

Snowball Juggling O

T Snowball Knockout

Snowball Pong S

Y Snowball Toss

A Winter Bird Watching

W Winter Scavenger Hunt WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? SNOW TRACK MARBLE RACE Materials Needed: Marbles and mittens! There’s nothing quite as exciting to teens as cheering for inanimate objects. Okay, maybe there is, but you’re about to notch their excitement level all the way up with the wildly engaging and team building Snow Marble Race. Carve out a winding and weaving channel in the snow about three marbles wide. Then assign team names to various marble colors. They’ll cheer their teams on all the way down pushing and slipping as they try to see who’s winning. You can get creative with bridges, tunnels, side trails, and jumps. Make sure you test it first. It’ll be really sad if all the marbles get hung up early.

DO YOU WANNA BUILD A SNOWMAN? Materials Needed: Snow Toque, scarf, buttons and arms (provided) carrot for the nose (not provided) Direction to Setup and Play: Wait for a snowy day... Roll the snow into balls to build your snowman Have fun dressing it up! Take a photo and email it to [email protected]

CLASSIC MARBLES This is the easiest of marble games to play. Draw a playing circle (use your finger in dirt or carpet or use sidewalk chalk on the concrete or use light string to form the circle) and dump all your regular sized marbles into the circle. Players use their larger marbles and take turns bouncing or rolling them into the circle to try to knock marbles out of bounds. Any marble that is displaced from the circle is theirs to keep for the game. The game is over when there are no more marbles in the circle and the winner is whoever collected the most. WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? MAKE HOMEMADE SNOW What do you do when you are dying to play in the snow, but there isn't any? You make your own! Begin by pouring 4 cups of frozen baking soda into a large bowl or container. (Freezing the baking soda isn't necessary, but it makes the "snow" extra icy & cold). Slowly add cold water and mix, slowly adding more water and mixing until the desired consistency is reached. As you mix the water into the baking soda the most amazing fluffy snow will form! You can incorporate toys into the snow, like cars, diggers, and figurines.

BUILD AN INUKSHUK WITH ICE Inukshuk is pronounced In-OOK-Shook which is an Inuit word meaning “image of man.” They are life-like figures of stone, built by the Inuit and they stand along Canada’s most northern shores. Materials Needed: food colouring, frozen, colored water in an assortment of containers and buckets Remove the frozen, colored ice blocks from the molds, start stacking them in interesting ways, finding the balance points! BEAN BAG TOSS Materials Needed: Targets Bean bags Direction to Setup and Play: Divide the bean bags evenly between the players Arrange the targets so they get further away as the points go up Take turns throwing your beanbags at the targets When all beanbags are thrown, add up the points. Can be played indoors or outdoors. Remember, if the beanbags get wet be sure they are completely dry before putting away. WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? FREEZE DANCE PARTY This activity is what it sounds like: a freeze dance party. You play music, and when the music stops, players freeze. You can mark off personal space using floor tape or cones, so players have physically distanced boundaries.

CORNHOLE Cornhole is a game where players take turns throwing bags of corn kernels at a raised platform (board) with a hole in the far end. Today the bags aren't usually filled with corn, and the boards often have multiple holes. SETUP - Mark a throwing line 5-10 paces from the cornhole target, depending on the age/ability of your players. Prop the back of the target against something sturdy (furniture for a steeper incline, or on a toy for a smaller incline) or put pylons through the holes in the top corners. RULES FOR PLAY - (or you can make your own rules based on the age/ability of players) The bean bag toss game can be played with 2 or 4 players. Each team gets 4 bean bags to throw. Each player throws from behind the marked line. This is the foul line. The player can't pass the line or the throw does not count and the bag is removed from play. Each team alternates shots beginning with the team that had scored last. A bag that is tossed in play and knocks another bag off or in the hole is legal. SCORING - Points are scored when a player has a bag on the board or in the hole. A point scored on the board is equal to 1 point, a point scored in the hole is equal to 3 points. Game is played until one team scores 21 points. A team can win by a white wash which is 11 - 0. WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? BUILD A FORT Blanket forts are easy to build and provide countless hours of fun. You can make your fort with everyday household items like blankets, sheets, chairs, and curtain rods Materials Needed: Some sheets and clothes pins. How to build: Start by building a fort frame. A great base is 4 kitchen chairs with their backs to each other and a space in between. Then, close off your fort to the outside world by draping blankets over it. Use the clothespins to hold things in place. Throw in a few pillows and blankets for added coziness, for a fun afternoon.

HOT AND COLD Choose one player to be the hunter, and have that person step into a different room for a minute. Hide a small item (like an indoor snowball) somewhere in the room. Call the hunter back in, and have them start searching for the object by walking around the room. If the person is far away from the object, the other players say “cold.” When the hunter is close to the object, players say “hot.” Players can use various words according to the degree of hot- or cold-ness – icy, freezing, frigid, blazing, warm, scorching, etc.

CUP CONSTRUCTION Talk about easy prep. Just provide a big pack of cups, and get creative! Challenge players to build the tallest cup tower in teams, or just give them free building time. It’s amazing what they can come up with given a little free time and some cups. You can incorporate anything else in the kit too! WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? SNOWBALL PONG Set up buckets (or cups for added difficulty) at a chosen distance in front of each player. Bounce as many snowballs (white ping pong balls) into the cup or bucket as you can in 1 minute. SNOW BLOWER Tape cups to the edge of the table. Give each player a pile of 'snowballs' and an empty paper towel tube (not provided). Race to see who can fill their cup the fasted by blowing the snowballs across the table and into the cup. SNOWBALL JUGGLING Give each player 3 'snowballs' and practice juggling! Start with 2 if SCAN THIS you are a new juggler! Need help with the mechanics of juggling? FOR HELP Here is a tutorial --> JUGGLING SNOWBALL TOSS Have two players hold a bucket on top of their head. Give ALL THESE their partners a pile of snowballs. Race to see which team GAMES CAN BE can get more snowballs in the bucket in 1 minute. PLAYED INDOORS WITH THE SNOW PENGUIN WALK BALLS PROVIDED, OR Set up a path or racetrack using cones and cups as markers. Have OUTDOORS WITH each player place a snowball between their knees and walk like a REAL SNOW BALLS. penguin around the track. Time the players if you want to see PLEASE REMEMBER who is the fastest penguin. NEVER TO THROW A SNOWBALL AT SOMEONE'S HEAD SNOWBALL KNOCKOUT OR FACE Set up 3 cones in front of each player. Place a snowball on top of each cone. From a set distance, throw snowballs to try to knock the other snowballs off the cones. WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? BALLS - THE BEST BOREDOM BUSTER

Tin can knock ‘em down - Save your tin cans so your child can stack them up and knock ‘em down with a ball. Stacking is all part of the fun and watching the cans scatter wildly adds to the game. Play this one outside in a wide, open space. You can also add a crafty element to this game by painting or papering the cans before you use them for the game. Wall ball - All you need is a bouncy ball and a wall in front of some concrete or other bouncy surface. The aim is to bounce the ball against the wall and keep hitting it back for as many times as you can. Younger kids can catch the ball between bounces. Older kids will like hitting it back without catching. Once kids get really good at it, you can draw a circle on the wall with chalk that they have to hit the ball into. Keep the ball up - A classic game that involves throwing the ball into the air and clapping before you catch it again. Little kids will enjoy the simple throw and catch with one clap if they can manage it, older kids will enjoy adding more and more claps before they get to catch the ball. Surprisingly addictive. Hoops - If you’ve got a basketball hoop, all the better, but you don’t need one to score a ‘goal’. You can lay a hula hoop on the grass and throw the ball from a distance to ‘land’ inside the circle. A laundry basket is also a good alternative. Try to get the ball into the hoop X amount of times or count how many times you can get the ball in the hoop in one minute, two minutes, five minutes, etc. Dribble drills - The aim of this game is to dribble the ball without stopping from point A to point B. Challenge your child by moving the points further and further away from each other. You can also set up ‘out of bounds’ areas so that if they go out of bounds, they have to return to point A each time. Obstacle course - A ball can be an obstacle course all on its own. Call out different things to do with the ball – ‘kick’, ‘pick up and run’, ‘bounce’, ‘dribble’, ‘throw’, etc. Make a catapult - What’s more fun than launching a ball using a catapult? Nothing, that’s what. It’s easy to make a catapult from recyclables. Golf - You’ve seen the execs practise their golf swing by putting golf balls into cups, right? What kid wouldn’t enjoy a go at that? If you’ve got a mini-golf club, all well and good, but a big stick works just as well (don’t tell golf enthusiasts that I said that!). Backyard bowling - To get bowling in the backyard, all you need to do is store up your empty milk cartons or soft drink bottles until you have 10. Set them up ‘bowling alley style’ at the end of a fairly long stretch of lawn. Now, use a basketball, soccer ball or netball to bowl those bottles over! To add extra excitement (and an educational element) to the game, write a ‘score’ on each bottle so your child can add up the score based on the bottles they knock over. This is a good one for more than one player, too. WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? BALL ACTIVITIES - PAGE 2 Good ol’ catch - Humble, but surprisingly addictive, a game of catch between two can be played in a variety of ways. Throw the ball to each other back and forth. Add a bounce in between. Put a spin on your throw. Throw with one hand, catch with the other. Only catch with your left hand (or right hand if you’re a leftie). Roll the ball to each other. Throw with your eyes closed. Kick the ball to each other. Head the ball to each other … you get the idea. Petanque - A national game in France, petanque is fun to play and all you need are one small ball and two larger balls. An orange and two coconuts also works really well. The aim is to get your coconut as close to the orange as you can, possibly knocking out your fellow competitor’s coconut as you go. Donkey - A game of catch becomes something new when you add this twist. Each time a player fumbles or drops their catch, they are given a letter in the name of an animal. Start with DONKEY. When the player ‘collects’ all of the letters in DONKEY, they have to run around and pretend to be a donkey. Cup hockey - You’ll need a ping pong ball, two straws, some sticky tape and two paper cups for this one. Tape a paper cup to each end of your dining table and put the ping pong ball in the centre of the table. Hand each child a straw, allocate them a cup and tell them to blow the ping pong ball into their cup while keeping the other team from doing the same in their own cup. No hands allowed and if the ping pong ball falls off the table they need to set it back in the middle with first ‘blow’ going to the player who did not cause the ball to leave the table in the first place. Bridge ball - You’ll need at least 4 players and a bouncy ball for this one. Players stand in a circle with their legs apart and feet touching the feet of the people on either side. The aim of the game is to bounce the ball through other people’s ‘bridges’ (between their legs) while protecting your own bridge. Each player scores 2 points for getting the ball through another bridge but loses a point if the ball goes through their own bridge. Play until everyone is exhausted and then add up the points to see who played best. Piggy in the middle - A game for at least three kids (if there are more than three you just have more ‘piggies’ or more players to throw the ball to). The object of the game is to catch and throw the ball to anyone but the piggy in the middle. If the ball gets dropped, a mad scramble ensues. Say and catch - Players stand in a circle (two players can also play, standing opposite each other) and take turns throwing the ball to each other. A category is nominated for each round – for example, animals – and each player needs to quickly say the name of an animal before they catch the ball. If they miss the catch or fail to come up with an animal that hasn’t been said before, they are out of the game. Once there are 2 players out of the original round, they can pick a new category and start a new round that other players join when they are out of the first one. King of the ball - One player (the ‘king’) stands in front of the other players who are all in a line. The king throws the ball to each player down the line, using a different style of throw each time to keep the line on their toes. If a player misses their catch, they go down on one knee. If they miss a second catch, they go on two knees and if they miss a third catch they sit down and are out of the game. The winner becomes the new king. WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? WINTER SCAVENGER HUNT Give each player a scavenger hunt card and a dry erase marker, bundle up, and head outside to see what you can hear, smell and feel! WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? FAMILY FRIENDLY 7 MIN HIIT This 7 minute workout is a fun way to burn a little steam indoors or out. Adults looking for a little more challenge can do multiples sets, or substitute more difficult moves. Set an interval timer for 45 seconds of movement, and 15 seconds of rest. Have a bottle of water handy, turn on some music, and have fun!

HIIT STANDS FOR HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING, WHICH MEANS EXERCISES ARE DONE IN BURSTS. IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONCERNS PLEASE CONSULT A DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY NEW EXERCISE ROUTINE.

SOURCE: www.hes-extraordinary.com WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? WINTER BIRD WATCHING If you have gone bird watching in Lethbridge in the summer, you need to try it in the winter! There are different birds you are likely to see in different seasons. See how many of these you can find.

AMERICAN CROW HOUSE SPARROW

CANADA GOOSE BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE

NORTHERN FLICKER BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE (WOODPECKER) WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? SKIPPING ROPE It's no secret that jumping rope is great for your health. The benefits can include burning calories, better coordination, stronger bones, and increased heart health. But it is also FUN, and can be very versatile.

If playing alone, a jump rope is a great activity. Challenge yourself or your child to learn some of the BASIC JUMPING SKILLS, such as: Scissor jumps: land with one foot forward, then on the next jump switch feet Cross jumps: land with feet crossed like an X, then apart, then SCAN THIS crossed again FOR SKIPPING Duckie: land with heels apart, toes and knees pointed in; then on RHYMES next jump, put heels together and toes and knees pointed out Swing: land on one foot and swing the opposite leg out to the side, then switch on next jump DOUBLE DUTCH IS WHEN TWO If you have a group or participants, JUMP ROPE RHYMES add a layer LONG JUMP of fun. Try the classics like 'Cinderella', 'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear', or ROPES TURNING 'Miss Lucy'. Can't recall the words? Check out this website --> IN OPPOSITE https://www.verywellfamily.com/old-fashioned-jump-rope-rhymes- 1696145 DIRECTIONS ARE JUMPED BY ONE OR Playing with beginners or younger kids who have trouble timing MORE PLAYERS their jumps with a swinging rope? Try 'SNAKE'. For Snake, the rope SIMULTANEOUSLY. stays on the ground. Have one person hold it at each end and wave IT IS BELIEVED TO it gently along the ground like a slithering snake, while other players HAVE ORIGINATED attempt to jump over it. Take turns being the jumper and the snake- AMONG DUTCH mover. IMMIGRANTS IN Try PARTNER JUMPING for twice the fun. Try to jump with a partner NEW YORK CITY, AND using a single-person rope. Try face-to-face (with one person IS NOW POPULAR holding both ends of the rope) or side-by-side (each person holds WORLDWIDE. one end or handle of the rope). WHAT CAN WE PLAY WITH THESE THINGS? FOX AND GOOSE Direction to Setup and Play: To play this game make paths through the snow in the shape of a wagon wheel. Stamp down a circle in the center. This is home — a safe zone for the geese. Select one person to be the fox (it). The rest of the players are the geese.The fox chases the geese along the trails Players must stay on the trails and cannot jump from one trail to another. Geese may run into ‘home’ for a 15 second rest where they will be safe. The fox cannot tag the geese in the home circle, enter the STOMP THIS home circle, wait outside the home circle, or tag any geese that are in PATTERN IN A the ‘safe’ home circle. He may run through the circle to catch a PATCH OF FRESH different goose. When the fox tags a goose, their roles are reversed. SNOW! Play goes until everybody is too tired or gets soggy, wet, and cold! BALANCE AND WOBBLE Materials Needed: A piece of pool noodle (log) or a rolled up towel Flat board Direction to Setup and Play: A noodle and a flat piece of wood is all you need for this activity. Put the board on top of the noodle (or anything you have around), then stand and balance on the board as long as possible. Figuring out a good technique that will help you find your center of balance takes both problem-solving skills and some time. A smaller 'log' will make it easier, a larger 'log' will make it more difficult. HOOP LASSO CHALLENGE Materials Needed: Hoops, Balls of all sizes, String or rope Direction to Setup and Play: Tie string/rope to a hoop leaving enough extra to throw the hoop like a lasso. Each player will need one. Gather a bunch of balls or anything that can roll and spread them out over a large surface. Use the hoop lassos to try and catch the balls and bring them in. The person who catches the most balls wins! It’s also fun to try to steal someone’s catch by throwing your lasso over it and pulling it your way! Source: raisingdragons.com WHAT ELSE CAN WE PLAY WITH... BEANBAGS Tic tac toe race - make a grid, and use 5 each of 2 colored beanbags. Place the beanbags behind the start line (made with tape or rope), and see who can win at X's and O's by running the beanbags one at a time in a race. Hopscotch - Instead of using a stone or pebble, use a beanbag to play hopscotch (use tape to make the hopscotch grid) Volley toss - You will need 4 players, 2 towels (not provided) and one beanbag. Use a noodle, rope, or tape to make a 'net' or a line in between the 2 teams. Each pair holds the towel open from the corners and use it to toss the beanbag by flicking it up and over the net. The other pair catches the beanbag and tosses (flicks) it back. Try to set a rally record and see how many times you can throw the bean bag back and forth. Hide and seek - Play hide and seek with the bean bags by hiding them around the house or garden and then sending the players to look for them. Whoever finds the most bean bags wins. Hacky sack - Play hacky sack with a beanbag by bouncing it on your foot without dropping it on the floor. Count how many times you can bounce it without dropping it and try to beat your own score. HOOPS Hoop toss - Using the hula hoops as targets, practice throwing the bean bags into the hoops. You can assign points to different hoops, or increase the difficulty by moving the hoops further away. Hoop snowmen - If there isn't enough snow to build an actual snowman, place 3 hoops on the ground in a line, and find items from this kit, or from around your house or yard, to make the face, hat, buttons, arms, and anything else you'd like to add to your 'hoopman'! Hoop-hop-showdown - best played with 6 or more players, separated in two teams. Put all your hoops on the ground in a long line. One person from each team starts on GO hopping through the hoops towards the opponent. When they meet, they do Rock Paper Scissors. The loser goes back to the end of the line, while the next person on their team starts hopping forward. The RPS battles continue until one team gets their opponent all the way to the other side. 403-320-5412 Twitter:@LethbridgeSport 403-320-9371 Facebook: @LethbridgeSport [email protected] Instagram: @lethbridgesport www.lethbridgesportcouncil.ca LinkedIn: Lethbridge Sport Council

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