Snowy Day Indoor Ideas

Snowy Day INDOOR Ideas...

WOW! I thought that December's snow was a doozy, but I'm thinking that this one is going to make quite an impact here in Richmond, Virginia. It got me to thinking about what to do with your children IF the weather is too cold to go outside and too snowy to drive anywhere.

So, here is my list of ideas to help those of you stuck indoors.

* Get a head start on your Valentine's cards.
Even if your child can't remember all of the names from his/her class, you can have them sign their name and make them. Pull out any supplies and let them be creative. My son has decided to add Valentine's jokes to his.

* Play a game!
You know all of those board games you rarely pull out? Pick an old favorite. Let each child choose one...that is unless you have more than 3 children!

* Start a puzzle.
A puzzle can be quite fun and gets the brain clicking! It also allows your children to work together...hopefully without too much arguing. Also, try these cool math games online.

* Cook up something tasty!
We've got a box of Lemon Bars we haven't fixed so it's on our list for today. Not sure what to cook? Check out this site that uses ingredients you have. Just type in your ingredients and you get the ideas for what to make.

* Make Snow Cream!
Too cold to play in, but not too cold to eat inside. Check out some of these recipes for Snow Cream.

* Read a good book.
Any book is a good idea, but one with a snow theme is even better. If you are a subscriber to Grow Up With Books, you will want to check these titles...
Houdsley and Catina and the Quiet Time by James Howe
The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats
The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills

*Have a dance contest!
Get out the video camera, turn on some music, and start recording those dance moves. If you want to get really fancy, check out YouTube for some kid dance moves. After taping, you can then play them back for a good laugh. What great memories to hold onto!

*Pull out old family movies.
Truthfully, we watching ones I got from the library yesterday in preparation for today's snow. However, watching old ones of the kids would be better. May just have to do that next!

*Add your ideas here...
Leave your ideas in the comments! Help others (including me) get the most out of these COLD days with the kids inside!!!

We look forward to hearing from you-
The GUWB Team

(submitted by Lara)

National Puzzle Month

January is "Puzzle Month" with January 29th being National Puzzle Day. Puzzles offer many educational benefits such as...
-helping children see parts to a whole (like with words)
-developing spatial awareness
-improving problem solving skills
-eye-hand coordination
-coming in different levels
-plain ol' fun

In honor of "Puzzle Month," GUWB would like to feature several of our "puzzling books." These books allow your child to use "puzzle strategies" while reading. Check them out!

The Seed (0-2 age group)
Bunny's Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown
We follow Bunny from the day’s beginning to its end. As the day goes on, sounds are heard and the reader is encouraged to guess what sounds are and how they came to be. Through colorful illustrations, Lisa McCue takes us on another journey as we look to find “McCue” hidden thirteen times in this story.

The Sprout and Sapling (3-4 and 5-8 age group)
I Spy Mystery: A Book of Picture Riddles by Jean Marzollo
Using poetry and rhyme, Jean Marzollo invites children to search for hidden objects in photographs. Some objects are easier to find than others so it’s a wonderful way to increase a child’s “stamina” with reading.

The Young Tree (9-12 age group)
The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman
Twelve-year old Gil Goodson is ready to join the Gollywhopper Games. After months of being in the shadows of his father being wrongly accused of embezzling money from the Golly Toy and Game Company, the time has come to set things straight. It’s the 50th anniversary of the company and Gil thinks that if he can win the grand prize his family will be able to move out of town and be rid of “The Incident” and start fresh. Through challenging puzzles and riddles, tricky trivia, and crazy stunts, he competes against thousands of other kids to try and win. Gil has planned, studied, and is ready for the big day. Not only will it take the knowledge he has of the Golly Toy Company to win, teamwork will play a key role to his success. Unexpected twists and turns will be present throughout this novel. Get your thinking caps on and get ready to solve some puzzles with Gil!

Also take time to check out the puzzling book ideas at The Miss Rumphius Effect. You may even want to try these puzzling sites from Grandmother Wren. She can help you make your own set of tangrams to really get the brain thinking!

Enjoy getting "puzzled" with books from GUWB!
Happy reading-
The GUWB Team