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
If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Lim Ee Hai 12.29.07 at 9:35 am
Kids surely like to play and that is the catch. Learning through playing takes the stress and boredom away. Some childcares realised this and is practicing using play to teach. I do apply some of the “play” concept to teach kids and my students about math, and I noticed that they are more receptive to the topics. And during those sessions, I found myself enjoying the teaching. It is a win-win experience.