So, this will be the second day of quarantine, I mean, snow day. 12 long hours of the day to fill with activities. I survived the first day a little weary but all in one piece. As day 2 is upon me, though, I'm scraping the bottom of the idea bucket! Here are some ideas I've come across that are a bit of a ray of sunshine in my dim imagination right now:
1. Cooking. Yes, there is the mess to consider, but kids love to measure and see things change form. Today, we started the day off making pancakes from scratch. I love this recipe from Martha Stewart. Put a paper towel down to catch excess flour. Let your kids cut the butter (to put in the skillet) and spoon flour into the measuring cups. My daughter even ladled the batter into the skillet. It wasn't perfect, but it was edible! Tomorrow I may try my cookie recipe here.
2. Mini books. Why not take out some old pictures of yourself (at your child's age) and make a little scrapbook on construction paper? You can also do one on snow days and take pics of the kids in the snow.
3. Games. Simon Says is always a crowd pleaser. Or, make a list of items that the kids have to collect (even pit them against each other) from around the house. Time them to see who can collect them the fastest. Or, try a freeze dance. Put your favorite music on and have them freeze when you pause the music.
4. Make a house. I have tons of big cardboard boxes from our trips to BJ's. Take one and make a little house out of it. Paste decorative papers all over it and cut out windows and doors. Kids can also draw things like a bed or trees to decorate. If you have a package of marshmallows, use toothpicks to make an igloo. Or, if that's too ambitious, draw images for your kids to cut out. Color and paste on the windows. You can even get a head start on St. Patty's Day and Easter crafts.
5. Ghost stories. Turn the lights off, grab a flashlight and tell "scary" stories starting with "Once Upon a Time." My kids love it and I love hearing their stories as well. My 2 yr old tells particularly brief but hilarious ones.
6. Snow Experiments. Take a pan of snow from outside and perform experiments on it. Pour hot water on it, hot syrup to make "candy," put it in the freezer, examine it on black paper under magnifying glasses, use food coloring to spray color onto it, etc.
Whatever you do, remember to have fun! And thank God tomorrow starts the weekend!
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