Oh, what do you do in the winter time, when all the world is white?
These months of January-March provide a few days off from school here and there. But the winter can sometimes make doing things hard if the weather is bad or you don’t want to spend money. So, what do you do in the winter time? Well, today we have 4 ideas for you! They provide a variety of options of doing things at home, outside, or going out for a little outing with the kids.
1. Something to Make – The Big Paper Snowflake – This isn’t your average snowflake, but I promise it is simpler than it looks! I was taught how to make this snowflake by my 3rd grade teacher and have loved making it ever since! You’ll need 6 pieces of paper per snowflake, scissors, a stapler, some glue, and a hole punch and string if you’d like to hang it after. You can find step by step directions to print here. Just remember – snowflakes are all different and are never perfect! So have a little creativity and embrace the not so perfect snowflakes that may come from your creations.
2. Something Out on the Town – Follow the Leader Bowling – My dad learned this game years ago at a leadership training. It is so simple and so fun. Once you have all your gear at the bowling alley, get ready to have a party at the bowling alley with some crazy moves. This is how it works: let’s say you have 5 people there to bowl. Person #1 gets up and bowls in a unique and fun way. After that, #2-#5 will do that same action while bowling. #1 can then bowl “normal”, and then #2 will start with a new way to bowl, and #3, #4, #5 & #1 will do the same. Do that until the game is over! (Some ideas: between the legs, pushing the ball on the ground, using your feet to push it, with your eyes closed, backwards, doing a little disco action before the bowl, etc.)
3. Something to Play Outside – Fox and Geese – With the recent snowfall, your yard or nearby park may be the perfect place for this wintry game of tag! Fox and Geese is a great way for your kids to get some exercise, unplug from electronics and have some fun with family and friends. So gather your gaggle, bundle up, and head outdoors!
To begin, make paths through the snow in the shape of a wagon wheel. Stomp down a four foot circle in the center of the wagon wheel. This is home — a safe zone for the geese. Select one person to be the fox (it). The rest of the players are the geese.
The fox chases the geese along the trails in the snow. All players must stay on the trails at all times. Players cannot jump from one trail to a different one. Geese may run into ‘home’ for a momentary rest where they will be safe. The fox cannot tag them if the geese are in the ‘home’ circle. However, the geese cannot stay there very long. After a minute or two, they must leave the home circle. The fox cannot enter the home circle nor can he tag any geese that are in the ‘safe’ home circle. He may run through the circle in pursuit of a goose if the goose keeps running through the circle and doesn’t stop inside it.
When the fox tags a goose, their rolls are reversed. The goose now becomes the fox and the fox becomes a goose. The new fox begins chasing the geese trying to tag one of them. Play continues until everyone is too tired or too cold. Then all the happy animals head inside for some hot cocoa! 🙂
4. Something to Play Inside – Flashlight Hide & Go Seek – The first time my family ever played this was on a camp-out one summer night. We all got our flashlights and hid around the campsite in the dark, then the person who is “it” takes their flashlight and tries to find people. It’s a hoot! Since you can’t always go outside we started playing it inside, and it is even more fun! Just play like normal hide and go seek but at night when it is dark and the lights are off. The person who is “it” gets to keep the flashlight to find people after they go hide. Once someone is found, they join the person who is “it” with their flashlight to go find the rest. The first one found will be “it” the next round. This is so fun my teenage brother invited a bunch of friends over to play it the night after they took their AP Calculus test!
Hopefully those four things can help defer the “I’m bored” and “there’s nothing to do” statements that often come with days off school!
Check back in a few days for a delicious snack to make at home with your kids, too!
Trisha
[…] said, it is so scrumptious and is an easy treat for your kids’ day off school (between those fun games we shared on Monday!) or when you have a crowd over for the big game. If you have very many kiddos or at least 2 […]