Sparks in the Long Dark Days of Winter

by Julia Parker, from the December 2004 Newsletter

As I write this, trees cast long shadows across our yard. It’s 2:30 in the afternoon. I know that by the time my daughter’s afternoon nap is over, it will be dark. I’ll check my watch 10 times in the afternoon thinking that I need to get dinner started. I meet friends in town and everyone seems as if they are dragging their feet a bit. (Except for Ann, from Minnesota, who becomes inexplicably cheery as the sun takes a dive.) It’s the long, dark days of winter, and, as much as I like this place, I dread this time of year.

It is the time of year that I get more sewing, reading, baking and soup-making accomplished. But what am I to do to with the kids on days when it’s hard to get outside? To find some help I turned to the book, 365 TV-Free Activities by Steve and Ruth Bennet. I’ve included a number of activities from this book that take very little materials – mostly imagination.

Playing games at home brings a lot of joy and laughter to our house. We’ve done it since our son was younger and it always seems to lighten things up. You might want to try some of these at home or get friends together and just get your kids started on something different and imaginative.

Ambidextry
This simple game involves using your non-dominant hand (the left one for most of us). Just get out some paper and pencils and let your kids try their other hand at writing their name, or drawing simple pictures. This also helps kids think harder about the process of drawing or writing letters if they need a boost in those areas.

Another variation of this game is to have everyone eat their meal with their non-dominant hand. Just have plenty of napkins available.

Balancing Act
Stand a wooden ruler on one end in the palm of your hand. Give yourself plenty of room and balance the ruler by moving your hand (and sometimes your whole body) to keep the ruler upright. This is a basic lesson in the physics of counterbalancing. Try it with feet firmly planted in place too, and watch the gyrations it takes to keep that ruler upright.

Jumbled Story Time
Cut out a wide variety pictures from magazines (or the endless number of catalogs you’ll get in the mail this month). Put them in a box or envelope so no one can see them. Have a person draw out a picture and start a story. After each sentence or two draw a new picture, the storyteller has to incorporate each image into his or her story. See who the can create the most coherent story.

Bubble Basketball
Use a large bubble wand to make a big bubble. Have the player keep the bubble off the floor (or ceiling) and get it across the room and into a hoop or bucket. This may involve considerable crawling and scooting across the floor. When the bubble pops or goes through the hoop, the player’s turn is over.

There are several books of games and family activities to choose from at the local library. Check them out and see what fun you can have at home this winter!

Julia Parker spends her winter fighting the forces of darkness with homemade soup, family and friends.

Copyright: Copyright on articles and recipes are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted.

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