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Snow outside and fun indoors

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First in a series

By Becca Owsley
Monday, November 21, 2011 at 10:55 am (Updated: December 5, 7:27 am)

Staying in on a snow day means kids need something to do.

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Boredom always begets grumbling so planning ahead can be helpful.

For younger children, arts and craft projects might be a good way to go.

Linda Johnson worked at the Hardin County Public Library for 20 years. Throughout those years, she planned many story hours centered on books and themes, some of those snow and winter themed.

Her ideas often started with a book and then branched out to activities based on that book’s theme.

  • She used a series of Hallmark books based on the Snowfarkles and their adventures. This year’s book in the series is “What's Shakin' in Snowflake City?" It’s about living in a snow globe. The first thing she thought after reading this book was to make a snow globe. Let child draw a snowman picture in the center of a heavy paper plate, make a base and then cover the plate with plastic wrap. Another idea is to pretend you are in a snow globe and when someone “shakes it” you dance, jiggle and wiggle.
  • “Snowmen at Night” sparks imagination and discussion with beautiful but silly pictures. She would make a stand up snowman to go with it using cotton balls, glue and paper.
  • “Rainbow Rob,” a book about a penguin, is great with colors. Johnson will flavor and color snow with Kool-Aid to match the colorful theme.
  • “If you Take A Mouse the Movies” has a Christmas theme and allows cute ideas using popcorn.
  • “Gingerbread Friends” is good to tie in to make a gingerbread house, baking and decorating a gingerbread man, making one with construction paper and art supplies or even making gingerbread paper dolls.

Johnson has other activities not tied to books. They include counting snowballs or snowflakes, making snow cream, cutting out shapes and making snowmen, trains or igloos and drawing a picture of something wintry that’s glued to cardstock then cut into pieces for a homemade puzzle.

Other ideas include snowball fights with cotton balls or socks, building a pretend snowman, sleds made out of popsicle sticks, tracing hands to make a moose or reindeer, making a wreath with a plate tissue paper and other items, decorating old’ CD’s with pictures, sequins or glitter and aluminum foil used for to make winter or ice skating scenes.

Johnson also suggested making up winter stories or using a favorite story to create a play and dress up for tea parties or dancing.

For teens, who probably won’t be up until noon, other activities might work. Pulling out the family board games are an option.  Baking cookies is always a fun way to pass a snow day as is a family movie fest. Trilogies or movies with sequels are often good for a relaxing snow day.

A Facebook poll offered some snow day movie suggestions.

April Winebarger likes anything Disney, especially “Pocahontas”, “Tangled” or “The Lion King.”

Many people liked the idea of watching films with sequels.

Remembering a snow day of her youth, Felicia Harry said she put on a pot of soup, ate popcorn and watched the “Anne of Green Gables” series all day long.

Neil Howey is also a fan of movies in multiple. He mentioned trilogies such as “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings” and “Rocky.”

Other people suggested pulling out the Christmas movies such as “White Christmas,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Muppets Christmas Carol.”

And girls, they like watching chick flicks, some said.

Crafts, baking and movies should fill a snow day with fun.

Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741.

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