It seems like preschool crafts are in abundance but finding middle school winter crafts is a little more difficult. So, I have gathered 10 winter crafts for you. Be sure you grab more ideas for winter fun on my page Winter Season Unit Study.
Also, I’m showing you how to make a sweet-smelling hot cocoa candle that your middle schooler will love to make and keep or give away.
Winter is a great time to dive into all things cozy-snow, snowflakes, winter hats, snowmen, winter creatures, and of course cocoa.
First, look at some of these fun facts about winter to share with your middle school student.
Winter Facts for Kids
- December 21st or 22nd marks the winter solstice for the northern half of Earth (the Northern Hemisphere).
- There are 5 types of snow-Dry snow, moist snow, wet snow, very wet snow, and slush or snow.
- Snow forms when the atmospheric temperature is at or below freezing (0°C or 32°F) and moisture must be present.
- A snowflake is made of frozen water, so it has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O) in its make up.
- A blizzard is classified as a severe snowstorm that has high winds of at least 35 mph and the visibility is reduced to less than a quarter mile for more than 2 hours.
Next, here are some great books for your child to read when the weather changes.
7 Middle School Winter Books to Snuggle Up With
If your middle schooler loves to curl up with a good book, a soft blanket, and their sweet-smelling hot cocoa candle here are a few that are set in winter to enjoy.
7 Books for Middle School Students to Read in the Winter
These books also make for a great read aloud, even older kids would enjoy piling up on the couch in the morning for a good story together.
Julie of the Wolves is a staple in the canon of children’s literature and the first in the Julie trilogy. The survival theme makes it a good pick for readers of wilderness adventures such as My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, or Island of the Blue Dolphins.
This edition, perfect for classroom or home use, includes John Schoenherr’s original scratchboard illustrations throughout, as well as bonus materials such as an introduction written by Jean Craighead George’s children, the author’s Newbery acceptance speech, selections from her field notebooks, a discussion guide, and a further reading guide.
To her small village, she is known as Miyax; to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When her life in the village becomes dangerous, Miyax runs away, only to find herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness.
Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.
The domesticated life of a powerful St. Bernard-Shepherd mix named Buck is quickly turned on end when he is stolen away from his master and put to work as a sled dog in Alaska. His once life of luxury turns into a life of survival and adaptation as he learns the ways of the wilderness.
It's 1934, and times are tough for Trip's family after the mill in their small Wisconsin town closes, leaving her father unemployed. Determined to provide for his family, he moves them all to Alaska to become pioneers as part of President Roosevelt's Palmer Colony project. Trip and her family are settling in, except her mom, who balks at the lack of civilization. But Trip feels like she's following in Laura Ingalls Wilder's footsteps, and she hatches a plan to raise enough money for a piano to convince her musical mother that Alaska is a wonderful and cultured home. Her sights set on the cash prize at the upcoming Palmer Colony Fair, but can Trip grow the largest pumpkin possible--using all the love, energy, and Farmer Boy expertise she can muster?
Ever since Cora's father disappeared through the ice, whispers about her family's "curse" have grown increasingly louder. Desperate to help her mother and siblings survive another bleak season in the Winter King's frozen grasp, Cora begins to bend (and even break) the rules she has kept since she was a little girl. But when she discovers a secret that's much bigger than herself, she realizes too late that she has put herself--and those she loves--in even greater peril.
Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to care for, and even Winterhouse itself?
When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. Yet the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to “the heartbeat of the ocean . . . the pulse of the sea.” With hints of Nordic mythology and an irresistible narrative pull, Northwind is Gary Paulsen at his captivating, adventuresome best.
Also, choose one of these chilly and beautiful crafts to keep your tween or teens hands busy, and keep on the winter theme.
10 Middle School Winter Crafts
- Free Easy Arctic and Inuit Science Lapbook & Unit Study
- Winter Craft Ideas How to Make Fun Pinecone Flowers
- How cute is this No Sew Sock Snowman? He is a great way to welcome in winter.
- Cardinal Birds in Winter and Birch Trees Easy Watercolor Kids Activity.
- Make a real cup of hot cocoa with these DIY Hot Cocoa Bombs.
- Julie of the Wolves Free Hands-on Arctic Unit Study
- Hot Glue Snowflake Charms
- Two Fun Candy Cane Hands-on Science Winter Experiments.
- DIY Snowy Mason Jar Luminaries are great for lining the walkway or to brighten up the kitchen table.
- Easy DIY Fun Salt Winter Watercolor Art Project for Kids
Make a Sweet-Smelling Hot Cocoa Candle
The directions below will make one-12-ounce candles but can be easily doubled to make more.
Additionally, you could also add a little vanilla, marshmallow, or peppermint fragrance oil to give it a more complex hot cocoa scent.
You will need:
- 12 oz. Coffee mug (Dollar Tree)
- 2 cups of Beeswax pellets
- 1 brown crayon
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon of chocolate fragrance oil
- Candle wick
- Sprinkles
- Paint or permanent marker
You can leave the mug plain or use a paint marker or permanent marker to decorate the outside of the mug.
Create snowflakes or any other winter design you like, let dry completely.
Secure the wick to the bottom of the mug with a bit of hot glue or double-sided sticker dots, leave the wick 2” taller than the top of the cup.
Use the centering device (as pictured) or a clothespin to hold the wick centered in place.
Place beeswax pellets and broken peeled crayon into a microwave safe container, a glass measuring cup with a pour spout is perfect for filing cups.
Heat for one minute, stir, and then heat in 30 second increments until completely melted.
Stir in fragrance oil well.
Carefully pour melted wax in a cup ¼” from the top.
Allow the candle to harden completely.
Soften a Tablespoon more of beeswax pellets, not quite melted, whip with a craft stick.
Scoop the whipped wax on top and around the wick.
Top with sprinkles and lightly tap into the wax, let the wax harden.
Trim the wick to ¼” over the “whipped cream”.
