Ah winter... it's beautiful, and cold. And cold. And cold..... there's such a temptation to forget about those New Years resolutions and just hibernate by the woodstove until the short, cold, dark days are over. Wake me in spring... However, there really is a lot to do in winter... if we dare venture out, there's sledding and building snow men ( you're never too old for this one !) and skating ( never too old for this one either.... my great grandpa went skating on his 90th Birthday - it's true ! ) and for you adventurous sorts, don't forget all those sports where you strap things onto your feet and go flying down hills.No motivation to go out in the cold ? Remember over 60% of people in the great white north are not venturing out in the cold enough to get their recommended amount of Vitamin D in the winter so if you really refuse to go outside, or just simply can't, look into some fish oils until spring and try some low tech indoor activities on those freezing cold days at home... you're never to old or too young for these either.... I recently found out that a 4 year old I know can knit and sew already ! Hey, why not, our great grandmothers did at that age ! We have become so dependant on technology to entertain us and our children that we are forgetting how to do these things.
Instead we buy our toys and have our sweaters made in China or ?? and then complain about it ! Seems silly to me... in fact I refuse to give in to my sons constant requests for video games. We don't allow him to watch TV or use the computer on school days either.
He is 8 and will be learning to sew in school ( what a great school ! ) next month. Each child in his class will be sewing their own small quilt ! We have also recently resurrected a bunch of "old" games such as cats cradle, using string. For paper fun remember lines & dots, cootie catchers ( fortune tellers ) and hang man ? We have also started making some really low tech toys such as apple head people , thaumascopes etc. These old games are non polluting, fun and best of all educational ! They teach kids practical skills that are being lost in our modern age where the cheap plastic toys we buy our kids seem to do everything for you. They promote good dexterity, teach skills like sewing, cutting, measuring etc in a practical way instead of just from a textbook and most importantly they teach HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
Other good things to teach in winter are cooking and baking ( measuring, counting, observational skills... even a 2 year old can help ! ) Our son can now fry an egg or make an omlete completely by himself.
If you'd like instructions on any of these games or toys for your kids, drop me a line and I'll be happy to share. If you remember how... pass that knowledge on & have fun doing it !
