Are We in an Ice Age?

This is a logical question when you’re five and you see that giant Polar Vortex graphic take over your television screen. (Alternate Title: Will Winter Break Ever End?) We’ve been inside since Sunday afternoon, after a few rounds of playing in the magnificent snowfall. Since then, we’ve been biding our time with electronics, board games, new apps, our new-to-us mini trampoline, craft kits  and taking down the Christmas decor.

We got about a foot of snow on Sunday afternoon, and then the temperatures took a plunge. So we’ve hung blankets on the windows, gotten a dynamite space heater and have been drinking our fill of hot cocoa. You know there’s a problem when Indianapolis not only colder than Chicago…it’s colder than Anchorage, Alaska, and even the South Pole. Crazy town I tell ya!

Anyway, I’ve done my best to keep the kids busy in between mind-numbing sessions of Wii and Netflix (Leilan and I are both working from home- it’s a blessing, but also takes some turning a blind eye!).

Craft kits make a great gift, and I always try to have a couple on hand for days (weeks) like this when we’ve got the time to have some fun. We’ve also had time with play dough, and a lot bouncing on our mini- trampoline.

 

My kids love to build things- this marble maze was a GREAT addition to their toy collection! We’ve also built with Legos, and gotten busy with Hot Wheels tracks and train sets.

 

 

 

We have three kings for our Christmas tree. This little Epiphany joke was a hit on Facebook. I left the snowman decor up for a few more weeks, but our tree is put away for another year.

I’ve also surprised them with a couple of new apps, including Tic-Tac Bananas. This early reading app combines monkey antics (some of my favorite kind of antics), tic tac toe, and begining reading skills. It’s a one or two player game, where in order to make your move on the tic tac toe board, you first have to identify the first sound of the picture (which could be a monkey in a Wig, or a monkey tasting something Sour, or a monkey wearing a Gold medal….you get the idea). The kids thought it was hilarious, and it was a good review for Andrew. I asked Meg (the 3rd grader) her thoughts, and she said, “It’s a great app for kindergarteners. They can learn while they play. And the monkeys are funny.” Well if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what it is! Tic Tac Bananas is available in the app store for $1.99 and there’s an Android version as well.

Tomorrow I think we are going to venture out after rush hour and things have started to thaw a little bit. It should also be warm enough to play outside for a little bit.

What have you been doing to keep busy during this forced vacation???

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of Tic Tac Bananas for the purpose of this review. Opinions are all mine, the third grader’s and the kindergartener’s.