Welcome to Wisconsin winter! As parents we are used to an occasional snow day throughout the winter season. A nice break from it all for some. This past and current week might be putting a little strain on us all though, and with the cold temperatures we can’t even just send them outside. Here is a list of ways to beat the snow day blues!
- Make a reading fort- we tend to use our dining room table for this. We hang blankets over all the edges, throw as many pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals as we can fit, grab flashlights or lanterns, and bring a stack of our favorite books.
- Movie Marathon- this is great because it works with all ages. For little ones you could do all the Madagascar movies, or anything that has at least three movies. For older ones you could do a Star Wars or Harry Potter marathon- that could get you maybe two days even!
- Make snow ice cream- there are a few recipes out there, but we favor the one that has sweetened condensed milk. Because- well- sweetened condensed milk. Enough said. Basically you put a bucket out (we use an old ice cream pail) before the snow comes. Then you mix the snow with a can of sweetened condensed milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir. Serve with your favorite toppings. Yum!
- Baking- dust off the recipe books or go down the Pinterest rabbit hole and make something fun! A variation is to see what food you have in the house and do a Top Chef challenge and see what you can come up with.
- Binge Watch- choose a new series that everyone will enjoy and cozy up on the couch.
- Road trip- if you don’t mind driving in the snow/cold, there are many places that offer fun in an indoor setting. Roller skating, museums, trampoline parks- lots of places to burn off the extra energy. Pro tip? Invite another family so you can catch up with a friend while the kids run around.
- Crafts- this isn’t for everyone, but if you have some supplies around, bust them or and see what you can create.
- Play doh- throw down a table cloth and let them smoosh and play away. Don’t have any? It is super easy to make with some simple ingredients. And it is WAY less messy than slime.
- Theater- got any dramatic children? Give them a topic/situation and then give them some rehearsal time. Pull out the dress ups and then have them give you a performance. You could even video it and then have a screening of it in your living room. This can also work well with puppets.
- Scrapbook- either digital or hard copy, find fun photos from a recent vacation, or from their childhood, and put them together in an album. Have them add their memories as text.
