Snow Day Activities

Just outside my window as of 9:40 am CST on 12/6.

 
I'm a bit of a frozen Shiny-sicle this weekend! So, since a lot of people are also likely snowed-in this weekend, here's a few ideas to fight boredom while you keep toasty:

Coloring/Drawing When was the last time you picked up some crayons or markers or colored pencils and just doodled? If you said "when I was in elementary/primary school", then that's been far too long, my friend. You can also open your computer's paint program (if you have one) or even find sites online to color and/or download coloring pages, like this one: On Coloring - free coloring pages. And it doesn't matter if you're not great at drawing because you're doing it for YOUR amusement.

Make a Song Parody One of my favorite pastimes: making a completely ridiculous Weird Al-style song out of your favorites. All you need is to think of a topic, change a few words and BAM! If you need help rhyming lines together, check out Rhyme Zone. Also, using the thesaurus will help in finding just the right word(s).

Snowball Fight Don't let it go to waste! Get out there and lob some snowballs around with your friends and family. You could even make a snowman or some snow angels. Bonus: find a big hill (away from major roads and highways) and go sledding.

Write a Story It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, but write a short story. The thesaurus mentioned previously can help with that a lot. This can be especially fun if you have children: let them help you come up with the characters and the settings and their adventures.

Read a Book You're a big reader like me, then you probably have a stack of books (either physically or digitally) that you haven't gotten through yet. If you can't get out, try making a dent in that stack. Personally, my current read is Christine by Stephen King, and I have a stack of classics (Frankenstein, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Picture of Dorian Gray, etc.) I have yet to read.

Make a Short Film All you need is a simple story and either a camcorder or a phone capable of recording video (and also a YouTube account only if you want to share your creation). Again, it doesn't have to be a masterpiece because this is for you, and you don't need to feel obligated to put anything on YouTube if you don't want to.

Play a Game You don't have to play video games to be a gamer - board games and card games (tabletop gaming) count, too! So bust out the Monopoly/Checkers/Uno/dominoes and have at it. There are even free games available online: try Addicting Games or Kongregate to start.


What activities are you doing to stave off boredom this weekend? Did you do something I may have forgotten to mention? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Reminder: House fires tend to happen more frequently in the winter, so use caution when keeping warm:

• Make sure space heaters are not against flammable objects (ditto for fireplaces - move flammable objects away).
• Don't leave your stoves/ovens on for extended periods of time for warmth - unless your oven has a self-clean feature, they aren't made to warm houses anymore and can't take being on for so long.
• Always check electric blankets for faulty cords or exposed heating coils.

Stay warm and safe, guys!