I'm a scheduler and a planner. I can't help it--it comes honestly from my mother. My calendar is on my phone and literally every. single. thing is written down in it...including when I need to call doctors at the end of the month to schedule pre-op appointments for May because they aren't booking that far out yet. Ahem.
So I like routines. But I also like snow days. When those two collide, I schedule up our snow day. But don't worry--it's still fun! We enjoyed some time outside, for sure!
So I like routines. But I also like snow days. When those two collide, I schedule up our snow day. But don't worry--it's still fun! We enjoyed some time outside, for sure!
For the schedule, I have a pocket chart with wipe-off cards and clock faces on them. Then I write out the schedule for the day accordingly. For example:
9 a.m. breakfast
9:30 a.m. chores/clean up
10:00 a.m. cup activities
12:00 p.m. lunch
1:00 p.m. rest time
2:00 p.m. cup activities
4:30 p.m. school time (we practiced math facts, did Dreambox on the computer, practiced sight words, practiced the trumpet, etc. It depended on the kid.)
5:30 p.m. dinner
6:30 p.m. clean up/showers
7:30 p.m. bed time
Before you go thinking I am taking all of the fun out of a snow day (or any other non-school day, since I typically use this schedule whenever they aren't in school), let me explain. My kids need this. Especially Caleb. He thrives on routine, doesn't do well when his schedule is disrupted, and loves to know what is going to happen next. This schedule keeps him very happy. They actually both love it!
Since I had three extras for a few days, I also created "Cup Activities" to keep them occupied. This was a collection of 30 or so activities I found on Pinterest and such. These were written on slips of paper, folded up, and put in a cup. They didn't require a ton of set-up, for the most part. I always had them draw out of the cup ahead of time so that I could prep if needed. They didn't have to participate in the activity if they didn't want to, and sometimes someone found something else to do. Most of the time, everybody played!
9 a.m. breakfast
9:30 a.m. chores/clean up
10:00 a.m. cup activities
12:00 p.m. lunch
1:00 p.m. rest time
2:00 p.m. cup activities
4:30 p.m. school time (we practiced math facts, did Dreambox on the computer, practiced sight words, practiced the trumpet, etc. It depended on the kid.)
5:30 p.m. dinner
6:30 p.m. clean up/showers
7:30 p.m. bed time
Before you go thinking I am taking all of the fun out of a snow day (or any other non-school day, since I typically use this schedule whenever they aren't in school), let me explain. My kids need this. Especially Caleb. He thrives on routine, doesn't do well when his schedule is disrupted, and loves to know what is going to happen next. This schedule keeps him very happy. They actually both love it!
Since I had three extras for a few days, I also created "Cup Activities" to keep them occupied. This was a collection of 30 or so activities I found on Pinterest and such. These were written on slips of paper, folded up, and put in a cup. They didn't require a ton of set-up, for the most part. I always had them draw out of the cup ahead of time so that I could prep if needed. They didn't have to participate in the activity if they didn't want to, and sometimes someone found something else to do. Most of the time, everybody played!
I didn't get through all 30 (I think we did about 12), so I plan to save the rest for another rain snow day.
These were some of their favorite activities:
Laugh and call me Mary Poppins--it kept them engaged, happy (most of the time!), and having fun. What about you? What are some of your favorite activities to keep your kiddos occupied when they have to stay inside?
These were some of their favorite activities:
They played balloon volleyball, with a little girl on each team (they'd gotten bored by the time I took the picture!) The keyboard was the line. :) **See my schedule hanging up there near Sara on the side of the book case?
The little girls made tons of pictures with these toilet paper heart stamps!
Play dough is always a fun activity!
This is hard to see, but they made a zip line for Lego minifigures to go down. They tried different materials and the positioning of the harness to see what affected the speed. It was pretty cool to see what they came up with!
We also watched a few movies over the 4 days! :)
Some other activities included bowling, flying paper airplanes, and pudding art. The older kids sometimes played a board game after the little ones went to bed, but shhhh! They don't know about that! I know there were more, but I can't remember!
Laugh and call me Mary Poppins--it kept them engaged, happy (most of the time!), and having fun. What about you? What are some of your favorite activities to keep your kiddos occupied when they have to stay inside?
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