There's something sad about the tone of the entries about snow days, and I think, there is a connection with the entry about "Baby Loves Disco". Snow days don't happen that often and they are a joyful occassion for our kids. This attitude among parents that their children are a burden is very sad. Our kids are at school for 6 to 8 hours a day --and they're little for such a short time--so why is it so hard to enjoy them? Even with children in the elementary ages, parents feel the need to pack them with organized activities and build their little kid resumes, yet don't even know how to play with their children themselves. Even worse is this idea of taking children to organized events at grown-up places, like bars and rock clubs and expecting to cobble something together where their child-world makes sense on our grown-up terms. Why would we do that? I find myself at Ottobar or Sonar or Ram's Heat at least twice a month listening to live music and having a great time. But what is there to gain by putting our kids in that world?

Play with your kids. Have your kids play with each other. Let them fight it out and find a way to play together if that's what it takes. What to do with your kids? Start by doing the things that club leaders, scout leaders, coaches, teachers or arts instructors somehow manage to do with your kids. Or do some of these things if you're desperate.

Make bread. Eat it.

Make a bird feeder or squirrel feeder. Pull a cardboard container out of your recycling. Smear it with nut butter. Sprinkle with bird seed, (or hamster food), nuts,
raisins, cereal, popcorn. Squirrels are not picky eaters.

Tell them to read something. Read something to them that they'd enjoy but is above their reading level.

Do a puzzle with them.

Make pretezels. In Letter shapes. To spell their names.

Practice whatever instrument they're learning.

Let them fool around with an instrument you were trying to learn. That trumpet or flute you're hanging onto that you have in your basement.

Have a tea party.

Teach your child how to knit. They will knit squares for sleeping bags for stuffed animals, pokemon figures, etc.

Get out that pot-holder maker. Make a rug, blanket, sleeping bag for a stuffed pal.

Play a board game. Or play cards. Or play with dice.

Make popcorn balls.

Have a birthday party for a favorite stuffed toy/action figure, or pet.

Play simon sez

Google "kids science experiments" and do some http://www.fatlion.com/science/index.html here's a link to get you started.

Order some stuff from this science guy and keep them handy http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/

Make play doh. Play with it. http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/art/playdough061699.html

Print out some pictures from your last vacation, birthday party, or other event. Have you child help you (finally) get them into an album. Enjoy reliving the event.

Make an obstacle course in your house. Time your children. Graph their speed over several trials.

Play hide and go seek.

Help your child write a story. Draw pictures. Make it into a "real" book.

Play a computer game together.

If you have a piano, have your child make as many words as they can with the letters ABCDEFG. Then have them play the words on the piano.

Make cookies. Talk about fractions.

Keep on hand a big roll of paper from IKEA and some paints. Have kids paint wrapping paper for you.

Make stuff for whatever holiday is coming up to help decorate your house.

Play superheroes. Make up cool super powers.

Let them play in a bubble bath. With water pistols. And turkey basters.