My daycare kids and my own kids get sooo bored in my house when they can't go outside and play. Here in Nebraska its cold from October till March, so playing outside during that long expand of time is not really possible. I try to keep the kids occupied by beeing able to play with playdoh, coloring and painting and having different toys to play with but They are sick of the same things everyday. I went to the bookstore for ideas for crafts, activities and even homeschool books to do with them and they didn't have anything!!! I need some Ideas before I lose my mind because as most of you moms know, when kids are bored , they get naughty and grumpy. Today its Blizzarding and they look at me like its my fault!!! lol. I bought reading books the other day, thinking they'd be excited but they must be sick of books too.

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Check out family fun magazines's website FamilyFun: Fun stuff for Kids, Parents - and More Family Fun. They usually have good ideas. Also, some other things I have seen on here. One mom was using reclycled soda bottles to set up as bowling pins for an afternoon of "bowling"- you can use a tennis ball or something. Also, I remember seeing a link to a site making 'People" out of tin foil - I think also from family fun. What about tracing paper to trace from books - you can actually use a roll of waxed paper instead. Or some type of Valentine's Day craft - or cut snowflakes out of white paper - this was always a hit with my kids. Or have a "beach day" have the kids dress in their bathing suits (under clothes) and have a picnic on the floor with lemonade and summer foods and read a book about the beach or summer.

Just a few ideas, I can certainly relate to bored kids! Hang in there - spring is coming!

do you have the stuff to make pizza from scratch? they could make little mini pizzas with whatever toppings they want on them.

what about having a campout in the living room? Drag out the sleeping bags, some blankets, chairs, etc and make a cool tent, then throw the sleeping bags inside and hang out. have trail mix, smores (they're good even from the microwave), tell funny stories or ghost stories with a flashlight.

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