10 Snow Day Activities For When You are Stuck Inside (Again!)

Play "Hide the SnowBalls"

Grab those cotton balls from your nail polish stash and hide them all around a room (or the whole house!).  then send your kids on a "snowball hunt."

Print Off Color Sheets

Our favorite site is coloring-book.info  - tons of awesome coloring sheets with all their favorite characters!

Build With Marshmallows

Get out the marshmallows, big & little, and some toothpicks and let the kids build...challenge them to build the tallest, biggest, structure they can.

Take a Colorful Bath

My kids love this simple idea.  Add a few drops of food coloring to a bath.  Let them play.  It is that easy and will help burn some time off the clock.  Supervise as is appropriate for their age.

Break Out the Bubbles

Use bubbles in your kitchen and then clean up the floor together when you are done!

A great, homemade bubble recipe is: 3 c water  1 c dishwashing liquid (Joy works best!) and 1/2 c corn syrup

Challenge...Accepted!

How many times can you run up and down the hallway in a minute?  Go jump in the living room 20 times, then run back in give me a high five.  Can you do a wall-sit longer than mom?  You get the idea...help them burn off some energy and BOTH of your days will be happier!

Raid the Recycling Bin

See what you can make out of cardboard, clean containers (you know, the ones without the sharp edges), and other "found" objects.

Make Your Own "Parachute"

Drag out a tablecloth or sheet and make your own parachute.  Give your stuffed animals a ride, toss cotton balls on it, or be really brave and use marshmallows!

Make Playdough

Bay far my favorite playdough recipe is this one...

2 c. water – heated to boiling in microwave

4 t. cream of tartar*    1 c. salt

4 T. oil (baby, vegetable, or canola)

2-3 c. flour

Mix together in metal dish with metal spoon until well blended.  Turn onto floured surface to finish mixing.  Store in an airtight container.  Will last for months.

Optional add ins:

Swap out ½ flour, swap in cocoa powder – will smell and look like chocolate.  Add in spices like cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice.  Add food coloring.  Mix will a packet of Kool Aid, grape works especially well.  Add in extract like vanilla, peppermint, orange, etc.

(*Note: If you do not have cream of tartar, you can try lemon juice, use 8t. of this)

Get out golf tees, birthday candles, kitchen gadgets, small cars, muffin pans, and play with the play dough!

Baking Soda & Vinegar

Check out my previous post with the fun we had with this...It just never gets old!!!

http://parentinginlittlefalls.blogspot.com/2013/04/baking-soda-vinegar-fun.html

Mix these activities in with a little cleaning and a little Netflix and your day will be a great one!

Here are a few other links with some more great ideas!

http://herviewfromhome.com/36-snow-day-activities-and-ideas-for-your-kids/

http://www.frugalupstate.com/general-frugality/40-things-to-do-on-a-school-snow-day/

What is your favorite sanity saver on a day when you are stuck indoors?

Baking Soda & Vinegar Fun!

Quick, fun, and cheap activity for your kiddos!  Probably best for ages 2 1/2 and up, but nothing involved that can't be ingested ;)

First we got the baking soda patted down onto trays, both kids tried licking their hands after this and decided they agreed with mom that it didn't taste like sugar.

I prepped 3 cups of vinegar & liquid watercolor (but of course you can use good ol' food coloring too!) and droppers.  Then they took the droppers we talked about how you fill them up and then release them onto the baking soda - fun!

Both kids (ages 3 & 5) stuck with this until all of their baking soda was "painted" with the vinegar (about 20 minutes) - if you have never tried this combination, it bubbles and fizzes - so fun!  If the mess worries you, try this out on the deck or in the yard - good cheap fun!

Enjoy!

Do you have any cheap, easy "science" idea for kids?

Do you tolerate a mess well as a parent or do you like to save things like this for summer and outside?

Managing an Inconveniece + What to do When Kids are Bored

Upon finding this quote on pinterest some time back it has weaved it's way into my brain and rattles around from time to time.  There are days when I all feel that I do is "manage" things.  Plan and make meals, get laundry washed and ready for put away, clean toilets and floors.  However, I hope that I take the time to make my children feel like valued little human beings.

I think this is harder than it sounds because it means that I both spend time and effort to train and love them, but that I also don't overdo it.  That I spend time stepping back and letting them discover parts of life on their own.  I want them to feel successful and confident as they grow.

As a society we are horrible at letting our children be "bored."  At my house I have found that typically boredom has a ten minute hump.  One of my children will come up and tell me they are bored.  I will respond with a few ideas (usually some fun and some chores) and let them know I will trust them to find something to do.  They then go on the whine and flop on the floor for 5-10 minutes, then they find something they are interested in.

During these "bored" sessions my children have made some of the things they are most proud of.  Creations of art projects are a popular one.  Reading a new library book, or even organizing a closet have happened too.

There has to be management of a home.  It is more pleasant to live with at least an outline of what needs to happen.  Some of you are great at checklists, some of you just have an overall idea of what needs to get done by tomorrow.  Whatever works for you is great.  As you are managing, think of ways to build your little human beings alongside you. 

Here are a few links to some "I'm bored" jar ideas - a simple craft to make for your family:

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/the-mom-im-bored-jar/

http://imom.com/tools/training-tools/im-bored-jar/

http://www.shabbybeachnest.com/101-idea-im-bored-jar/

http://www.homespun-threads.com/hp_zencart/download/bored.pdf

How do you "snap yourself out of it" when you are feeling like being a manager is your ONLY role?
What do you think are some of the best things you can encourage your kids to do when they are bored?