For lots of parents, the winter season is one marked by a constant headachy feeling. Screaming children, nothing to do, horrible weather and back to school tantrums; nothing comes close to it during any other point of the year, and the perils of the season can leave many parents burying their heads in their hands. There's no need to feel down during the cooler months though, and there's plenty of things you can do with your kids during the winter months that will help alleviate the burgeoning feeling of cabin fever!
Stargazing
Winter is the time of year when your area of the Earth receives least sunlight, and all of those long, dark evenings can be excellent for prospective star and planet gazers. You don't need a telescope to enjoy the stars; indeed if you have a good pair of binoculars a huge amount of stellar and planetary objects are visible; and the experience will help you explain to your children their place in the universe, the vast scale of the sky, and what particular objects in the night sky are.
Wintry Walks
Throw on your walking boots, get those fingers tucked into gloves and strap on the woolly hats; winter is a great time to wrap up warm and enjoy the great outdoors. Although your destination of choice will greatly depend upon where you live, great choices can be large parks, forests, woodlands, or even (for the adventurous and hardy) beaches!
Spot the Difference
Although playing in the snow is something that every child relishes each year, there's always more to do than sledding, snowman-making and snowball fights. Get a piece of dark fabric, catch a few snowflakes, pop them in the freezer for ten minutes, take them out and marvel at the wonderful shapes and patterns using a magnifying glass! The kids will love it!
Snuggle Up Together!
When the weather is awful and the house is freezing, sharing a bed, throwing on the covers and snuggling up with your kids can be a lot of fun! Beds can get rather overcrowded however, especially if you, your partner and a few little ones are all sharing the same space. You could pop online and get a surprisingly inexpensive king sized bed- they can be great value, especially clearance items from sites such as Bedstar- however if there's no room to move, perhaps have a snooze in the living room instead!
This is a collaborative post with Sean Thompson
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1 comments
my 7 year old has just gotten into stargazing. I have alos found it fascinating as i didn't do much about the stars at school. We've got an app on the ipad which if you hold up to the sky tells you what stars and planet you are looking at.
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