WHAT TO DO ON A SNOW DAY

So now we are on Day #3 of our snow days adventure. Are you going crazy yet? As moms, it is always a challenge to figure out what to do with your child to keep him or her occupied when you feel the 4 walls closing in on you. Normally, I wouldn't have this issue as my children are grown, but it was decided with the circumstances surrounding where my daughter lives and because her husband is employed in the moving snow and melting ice business, that she and her 2 children should come to my house to ride out the storm. So they are still here and we are trying to "entertain" an almost 4 and almost 6 year old. Here are some ideas we have come up with:

• Play games - children need to know how to take turns and how to loose gracefully. This would be a great time to work on this.
• Make a band - Gather all your instruments from around the house (both real and pretend) and have a band. Remember to use pots, pans and plastic ware from your kitchen too!
• While you have your band instruments, why not have a parade? March all through the house. Make different parade routes.
  
• Have an inside snow storm - Gather some boxes of tissue and start pulling them out FAST! Before you know it "snow" will be covering the ground.
• If it snowed, you have to have a SNOWBALL FIGHT! - Scoop up a mound of ice cold snow, and roll it into a ball just so, now pull your arm back nice and slow, let go of that snow, look at it go! Too fun!!!
• Indoor ice skating - Get some paper plates (the cheap kind are best) and stand on them. Move your feet to get to skating. Be careful, it's slick!
• Make an instrument - Get an old carton that you have saved (sour cream, cottage cheese, coffee can, ziplock bowl with lid) and use it to make a shaker instrument. Experiment with by putting different things into the container to see the different sounds you can get from the same shaker.
• Have a beach party! Get out your beach towel, sunglasses and if you are brave, put on your swim suit. Sing summer songs, eat lunch on your towels and just pretend you are at the beach! If you have a fireplace, you could do this in front of it pretending the fireplace is your campfire on the beach.
  
• Bake something to have on your beach picnic. The Our Time students from last semester sang a lot about measuring and pouring. Let them do this. (I know... it will be messy, but think of the fun you will be having!

Above all, I just want to encourage all you moms to enjoy these precious days. You will talk about the "ice storm of 2011" when your children are adults. I hope you all have fond memories of this time together!

Posted by Kim Bemis ("Gamma"), who is really enjoying having two of her grandkids here for the storm even though there is a thick layer of crumbs (almost as thick as the ice outside) under her island in the kitchen.