by Bahija Haidaoui

Created on: January 22, 2011   Last Updated: January 23, 2011

 Snowed In For Fun

 “Snow day.” You longed to hear that phrase as a kid, but what about as an adult? And what about when a snow-day turns into “snow-days?” In some parts of the country, days off from school due to weather can come in a row, instead of isolated incidents. Worse, for many people, “snowed in” is literal, due to snowfall amounts, ice, and/or below freezing temperatures and chilling winds. How can you keep everyone from becoming creatures from t.v. zombie land (or, what if, gasp, the CABLE goes out?)

 Get out the Games: Scramble for the Scrabble, Parcheesi, and Life. Mix it up when playing with mixed ages - Play a game of tic tac toe or Candy Land for the younger kids, then have them play with an older sibling as a team for games like Life or Monopoly.  Make up new rules to tried and true games, or grab a deck of cards and see if the kids can invent their own games. Add some fun by using small action-figures, gummy bears, or even m & ms as the placeholders instead of the regular pieces (Bonus: you can eat the pieces later if you go with candy.)

Wired for Fun: Instead of leaving the video gaming to the kids, play with them. Play in teams, for larger groups, so no one feels left out. Dial up the fun on games like Rock Band by helping everyone DRESS UP in rock star attire. Get out the video camera (or use the recorder on your cell phone) and tape the antics. You can watch them later (esp. if the cables still out). You can  also play audio games – have kids play pieces from songs on their Play List and everyone else has to name the song, or the artist. Tell a story thru song – have the kids choose songs that tell a story through their words or song titles. Connect the Notes – play two songs and the listeners have to find figure out how they’re related.

Food for Thought: Some people cook with their kids all the time, but for many folks, the hustle and bustle of daily life doesn’t always allow time for dinner helpers every night. Now is the perfect time to cook up some fun. Have everyone make one dish for a multi-course meal, or contribute something to a more traditional meal. Make a “favorite foods salad”, with everyone helping wash, peal, or cut, depending on ages and skill level. Salads are great for kids, since if you don’t like an item you can simply avoid it, but you still contributed to the whole dish. Get out the cookie cutters and

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