LetChristLead.com

My January Edwardsburg Voice article:

Moonlight glitters off smooth drifts of snow and more is fluttering down.  As you peer out at this monochromatic scene, one thing becomes clear. Your kids are going to have a snow day. What do you do? Once you’ve watched movies, played video games, and nobody can get along long enough to play another board game, maybe it’s time for some fresh ideas.

1. Talent Show – Give everyone 30 minutes or so to dress up and prepare an “act.” Have everyone applaud and give encouragement after each performance.
2. Photo Shoot – Outside in the snow or inside with everyone choosing favorite outfits, digital cameras make it easy to take your own great pictures. Print off a few copies and let the kids create their own snow day scrapbooks.
3. Chain Story – Write one sentence of a story then pass it to one of the kids to write the next sentence. Keep passing it around until you have a crazy story that reveals everybody’s imagination. Make copies for them to illustrate.
4. Research Something – Kids all have unique interests. I have a 9 year old who knows more about geography than I do and a 13 year old who could do math problems all day. Ask them to name something that they would like to know more about and let Google do the rest.
5. Treasure Hunt – Hide Legos, plastic Easter eggs, or clues to find one big item. It doesn’t really matter what it is because it’s the searching that they love.
6. Old Fashioned Fun – Build blanket forts, put on music and sing or dance, write letters (yes, with paper and pen). Think of something that you enjoyed as a kid that your kids have never tried.
7. Fill a Donation Box – Talk to the kids about a charity in your area then fill a box with things that they need, clothes and toys for a homeless shelter or food for a local pantry. You will teach them a lesson about helping others and get those rooms cleaned out at the same time.

I hope these ideas help you enjoy your next snow day rather than dreading the idea of keeping everyone occupied and happy. Visit my “Snow Day!” Pinterest board at http://pinterest.com/lakesidesami/snow-day/ for even more ideas!