It’s that time of year again where we battle with the elements and take on even more battles with our kids. The carefree days of summer are gone when we could just shove the kids out the back door and they would happily play outside for hours. Now, I can hardly motivate my children to go outside and just get in the car.

I still clearly remember last February when it felt like we were on house arrest for a week. School was canceled due to the anticipation of snow and so, living in the sandhills of North Carolina, this practically sent our county into a state of emergency. Just the thought of snow shut everything down (don’t laugh too hard at us Alaska). Well, we got a whopping dusting of snow and then it just turned to freezing rain and ice for days. on. end!

So, after a while we grew bored of the typical games and activities and I started looking for something new to do. I was stir crazy from not getting to go to they gym so I had a thought: what if I had the kids help me make a “workout” video? They kids love to watch TV and they love to look at pictures and videos of themselves, so what if I combined the two? Holy cow! It was genius (if I do say so myself)! The kids loved the idea. So, I told them to think of some “exercises” and we’d film everyone doing them. This filled a good hour of our time. It honestly would have gone on even longer; however, mommy can only do so many crab walks and bear crawls these days. The kids, on the other hand, have endless energy which is why this was such a great way to burn some of it off!

Since the “Snow Day Workout Video” was such a hit with my kids, and we were still snowed in two days later, I thought I’d film them again and make a “movie” of them doing a scavenger hunt. I decided to set up simple paper clues around the house leading them to a new location where, ultimately, they would find one of their toys that I had hidden. Again, massive hit with the kids. This time, though, they kept playing their own version of the scavenger hunt for the REST OF THE DAY! I couldn’t believe it! It was so easy and fun and even worked on my kindergartner’s reading skills and handwriting. Who knew? All we needed was paper (I recommend colored paper), a marker, and a toy that’s lying around the house.

So, if you find yourself snowed in with the kids this winter and looking for something new to try, turn the camera on them. Film them doing what we did above, or have them act out a scene from their favorite movie. Make a video of them dancing or doing Karate. Then, put that video on your computer or TV (upload it to YouTube) and let them watch it. My kids watched the videos over and over again and kept wanting to make more movies. It was a great way to pass the time and has given our family some fun, lasting memories as well.