For the week of: Monday, January 22nd 2007

"Winter Days"

I realize that the entire nation isn’t living in a winter wonderland.  However, when weather conditions prohibit outdoor activities for munchkins, it can be hard on a momma’s patience!

Here are a few suggestions for indoor activities that might help maintain some sense of sanity in your home during inclement weather days…

(1) Pop some popcorn, pull out some construction paper, glue and cotton swabs (the swabs make great glue sticks) and let the kiddos make a snowman picture out of popcorn.  Of course it’s only fun if you get to eat some of the popcorn while you’re creating!

(2) For children old enough to read, write short scriptures on colorful strips of paper and hide in the house.  Provide a list of clues for finding the papers.  When a child finds a paper with a scripture on it, they grab their Bible, find the scripture, stick the paper in as a book marker and look for more.  When all papers have been found, everyone meets around the kitchen table and reads the scriptures they found.  (Be sure and include Psalm 119:103 which says, “How sweet are Your words to my taste,” and share some  chocolate chip cookies.)

(3) Create a play.  Children love to pretend.  Choose a favorite Bible story, use some paper bags and markers to make costumes, and guide them in the script-writing.  When they’ve practiced a time or two, video their production and share it with grandparents as a Valentine’s day gift.

(4) Pull out your baby book and show it to your children.  Tell them stories you remember during each phase of childhood.  Help them find pictures of themselves that you’ve taken that correspond with the pictures of you at that age and make a timeline. 

(5) Play Bible charades.

(6) If your house has stairs, line everybody up at the bottom of the stairs.  The first person has to demonstrate one way to climb the stairs.  Each successive person has to devise a new way to get up the stairs (on knees, walking backwards, turned around on the bum, hopping, etc).  Continue until no ideas are left untried (safely!).

(7) Little munchkins love to sort.  Last time our 3 year old grandson, Ryley, spent the night; I had some kitchen cleaning to do and needed to provide something to occupy his little self.  I dumped all the silverware on the kitchen table and he delighted in sorting it into the divider over and over again.

(8) Likewise, there’s that brief period of time in a young child’s life when they actually like to clean things.  Have a dirtiest towel contest.  Give each child 3 or 4 paper towels, point them to different rooms, aim them at whatever needs cleaned, dampen the towels and tell them, “Dirtiest towels win!”

(9) If your church has a picture directory, let your child go thru it and identify people they know well.  Let them cut out the pictures and place them in a box that they decorate.  Every morning at breakfast or at night at bedtime, let hem pull out a picture and pray for the person/people pictured.

(10) Go thru your recipe cards with your child and let them pick out their favorites.  Using a photo album, let them put the recipes in the book (let them illustrate the food on the back of the card.) Add to it as they grow and when they leave home, they’ll have recipes for all their favorite foods that mom made.

Cherish the memories, Mom!  

Lovingly,

Kay