Puzzled? What to do on a Rainy or Snowbound Day

After eight inches of snow overnight, many of us can not even get out of our driveways and are stuck at home. The weatherman reports “it is  not over yet, another band of snow is heading our way.”

Jackie, from Happy Houligans,  has this DIY shapes puzzle idea that would be a perfect project for our snowbound day here in Minnesota. Everything that you need you can find right in your own home.

Let the kids go on a treasure hunt with you. Jackie suggests “small toys, office supplies, kitchen utensils and game pieces are all perfect, but anything goes, really, as long as it fits on your piece of paper, and lays flat enough to be traced.”

Unleash your inner artist and arrange the items so you can easily trace them on to the paper. Jackie puts the traced puzzle pieces in a basket and Bingo, you have a new puzzle for the kiddos.

This looks like it would a great idea for Master O’s birthday party number three. See what puzzle pieces his biking buds could find around the house if it is a too wet Seattle day.

Indoor Camping

Skip the mosquito swatting and scarey sounds – try indoor camping with the Camp Olson Loft Bed.

Spread out  your sleeping bags under the loft. Play some of the usual campfire games.

Storytelling is a fun “do-anywhere” activity, notes Cindy Ross, co-author of Kids in the Wild: A Family Guide to Outdoor Recreation (Mountaineer Books). “Start with one line that sets a scene, and then take turns adding to the story,” she says. “The more tangents you go off on, the more fun it is!” For example, try “I think I saw a mermaid when I was swimming this morning. I opened my eyes underwater and….” And, of course, set some ground rules about not scaring your siblings. Oh, sure.

Turn off the lights, tell ghost stories, then point a flashlight towards the ceiling and slowly make a hand shadow that looks like a giant’s hand about to grab the little people that are indoor camping.

Sing some camp songs like:

• She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain
• Down By the Bay
• An Austrian Went Yodeling
• The Other Day I saw a Bear
• Rounds-such as Row Your Boat, Sarrasponda and Kookaburra
• Kum Ba Yah
• Michael Row the Boat Ashore

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Kick it up a notch in the fun department with a Marshmallow Shooter that uses the small size marshmallow.

Did someone say marshmallows? Gotta make S’mores!

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Indoor S’mores

Don’t reserve these for campfires–they’re easy to do in the oven.

Ingredients:

16- graham cracker squares

4- milk chocolate bars

1- cup mini marshmallows (un-used, not from marshmallow shooter misses)

Preparation:

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange half of graham crackers on baking sheet. Top each cracker with 1 piece of the chocolate bars. Broil until chocolate is softened but not melted.
3. Arrange 2 tablespoons marshmallows on each cracker. Broil until lightly toasted.
4. Top with remaining crackers and serve.