Snow Day! What to Do When You're Stuck Inside...Again

You know what it's like. Bad weather hits in the fall and it seems festive. You make cocoa and almost relish a chance to dress a little warmer. In December, it's part of the holiday spirit. In January, it's getting a little old. By February, you look outside and contemplate setting the neighbor's porch on fire just to have a little warmth and excitement. (I'm just kidding, really! My neighbors don't have a porch.)

So, to save neighbors everywhere, here are a few things we do to stay sane when it's too *%$& cold.

• Print out paper dolls and costumes (they're available all over online-- use any search engine). Color them and cut them out. I actually get into coloring the outfits more than my daughter does! You can find movie characters, period outfits, fairies, you name it. Kids can make stories and act them out too.
  
  
• Give kids playdough or any homemade dough, plus lots of cookie cutters, rolling pins and various things to poke and scoop with. While playdough can get dull, if you alternate the tools to play with it, you keep toddlers interested in it a lot longer.
  
  
• Books! We manage to tunnel out and make it to the library, plus our house is stocked with oodles of fun kid books. Story time is always a hit with my two year-old, and I make sure to have books that I actually enjoy reading over and over.
  
  
• Baths... but that's another article. ;)
  
  
• Bake cookies, bread or something else that kids can help with at little risk. Toddlers love getting to help knead dough! You can even put their initials in the top, and the smell when it's baking will make the house smell heavenly.
  
  
• Play ball. Roll it from person to person, try tossing it into a laundry basket, or try to "bowl" over a line of toys.
  
  
• Have a silly day. From the time you get up, dress everybody silly in loud, clashing clothes. Play 50's music or something equally upbeat. Make something weird for breakfast like pizza, then make breakfast for lunch. Encourage kids to think of weird stuff to do and backward ways to play with their toys. Style hair with gel in goofy ways and let the kids wear lipstick, or whatever strikes your fancy.
  
  
• Sit and talk. Some of our best times have been on lazy days where my girls and I sit in a pile on the couch and I answer questions about why TV's don't have bones and what bears eat.

And remember, soon enough we'll all be dealing with sunburns and mosquitos! I hope....


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