Looking out the window of our home in the woods, I see a glistening world of dripping icicles. It’s a beautiful, treacherous place where all roads and walkways are covered in a sheet of ice.

Schools are closed, and even though I homeschool my younger child, it’s a day off for both kids. It’s also a day to host friends whose parents can’t take the day off from their jobs.

Icy Day Plans

So, what are we doing today?

My idea of a perfect day off includes all-day pajamas, reading in bed, and total inertia.

My kid’s idea of a perfect day off includes friends and endless motion.

Our compromise is that I stay in my pajamas, and maintain the command center in the safe-zone of my bedroom. From my inner sanctum, I monitor activity and swoop in as necessary.

So, what do kids do when they are free to play on their own? Here is a partial list of all that these kids have done today.

Indoor Activities

Wii Games: Excite Truck; Heatseeker.

Board Games: Cadoo; Monopoly; and Apples to Apples.

Card Games: Go Fish and Old Maid from our set of Children’s Card Games.

Cooking: Palachinki (Breakfast Crepes); Chocolate Chip Cookies (scoop and bake.)

Online Games: Club Penguin; Webkinz; Linerider; and the educational Whyville.

Crafts: The older girls re-fashioned t-shirts using sewing supplies. The younger kids crafted farm animals, dinosaurs, and futuristic creatures that were featured in their playacting.

Music: Although the kids weren’t eager to practice their instruments, they enjoyed giving their friends lessons on the piano and harp. I’ve also heard them singing various Christmas carols.

Physical Activity: Running up and down the stairs; Bouncing; Chasing; Playing Killer Barbies At The Water Olympics in the hot tub.

Learning Activities

Whew! It’s now late in the afternoon, and they aren’t slowing down at all. I think it’s interesting that given the opportunity, these kids covered most of their school subjects through play. Here are some of the subjects that the children explored:

Language Arts: Apples to Apples (Vocabulary); Clay Creations (Writing); Barbie Stories (Writing)

Math: Monopoly; Card Games (Money Skills; Addition; Subtraction)

Social Studies: Palachinkis (Introduction to the Culture and Cuisine of Eastern Europe)

Science: Cooking (States of Matter; Kitchen Chemistry); Whyville (Various Science Games)

Critical Thinking - Wii and Online Games

Music

Art

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