Cold weather activities

It is beyond frigid here in Wisconsin. With actual temperatures hovering around zero, and wind chills in the negative twenty to thirty range, kids are cooped up inside and going nuts along with driving their parents nuts. Our poor furnace is struggling to keep our house even remotely close to warm.

Days like this remind me of one of the few good memories I have of my child hood. We would gather in the living room, light the fire place and I would play Battleship with my brothers, or work on a puzzle.

This can become a way when you can begin to build memories with your child, and teach them some things that you may assume they already know.

Recently I taught Hannah how to cut out paper snow flakes. Granted, she is at the age where you learn how to do this, but what about your ten year old foster child? Has anyone ever cut paper snow flakes with him?

Days like this I love to cook. A great big pot of soup or chili and some fresh baked bread are wonderful, and allows opportunities to build memories and work on some bonding activities. Is there anyone who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked bread? Some children bond by scent. Maybe some day your child will smell baking bread and remember baking bread with you.

Family movie time can be a wonderful event. Watching TV is a rare treat for my kids. I prefer that they play with their imaginations rather plunking in front of the tube. However, curling up on the couch under a blanket and watching a good family movie is a great way to spend a cold day.

Create family time by playing board games together or doing a puzzle together. Even the youngest child can do puzzles. All of my kids have loved to help me with puzzles, even when they are large 1000 piece puzzles. They feel a great sense of accomplishment when they can help with something “hard.” You can even switch between hard puzzles and doing a child friendly puzzle.

Light a fire and have some hot chocolate. If you have a fire place this can be one of those memories like the baking bread. I love the sound of wood burning, and the smell of a good hard wood in a fire place. Add in a cup of hot chocolate with some mini marshmallows and virtually every child will be in heaven.

Crafting can be a great way to have fun. I stock up on craft supplies when they are on clearance at the local craft stores. I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t love fun foam. If you’re not familiar with fun foam, it’s along the lines of construction paper, but thicker and heavier. You can find some fun patterns and crafts online. You can also find cut out shapes at your local craft store that will fit just about any interest your child has. You can also create jewelry out of pony beads or clay.

Use your imagination and remember what you liked to do as a child. Chances are your child will like it too, or some sort of variation of it. Use the bad weather as a chance to be a kid again and spend some time with your child.

As for me and my family, Hannah is in bed with the flu, and my husband and I are bundled up on the couch watching the football game.

GO PACKERS GO!!!

Photo credit – My outside thermometer

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