10 activities to keep kids busy when you're snowed in

By Heather Janssen, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

February 13,2016; 11:13PM,EST

 

 

Snow days are exciting for children, but harsh cold and treacherous wintry weather can make it difficult to get outdoors and play.
Here is a list of indoor activities to keep kids busy when it's too dangerous to head out in the elements.
Make snow ice cream
Bring the snow inside by scooping up some snow to make ice cream. Ingredients needed for this project includes a half of a gallon of snow, half of a cup of white sugar, half of a tablespoon of vanilla extract and one cup of milk. Mix the ingredients all together and the kids can enjoy a snowy treat.
Have an indoor picnic
While it may be cold outside, it can feel like spring inside by having a picnic. Place a blanket on your living room floor and get a basket filled with family favorites. It is a fun and different way to enjoy lunch.
Bake something from scratch
(Flickr Photo/Tim Pierce)
Let your children become bakers for the day by making something from scratch. Whether it is a family recipe or a food idea found online, kids will keep busy helping between prepping and baking the food. The best part is the children will get to eat what they helped to make.

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Plan an indoor treasure hunt
Hide "treasures" inside the house for the children to look for. Post clues throughout the home for the children to find. Parents can also create a map that children can use to find the treasure.
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Create snow art
Children will be kept entertained with snow day art. Make snowflakes using coffee filters, marshmallow snowmen or colored ice sculptures. These projects will help bring the winter weather indoors without having to deal with the cold outdoors.
Have an indoor snowball fight
Bring typical outdoor snow activities indoors with a snowball fight. Crumble newspaper into snowball shapes (use white or blue paper to make it look like a real snowball). Lay the paper ball on plastic wrap and gather it up like rolling a snowball in the snow. Continue rolling the paper ball until it the plastic wrap is smooth. Cut the plastic wrap and use a hair-dryer to fuse the edges together so the snowballs to not unravel. Lastly, find a place in the house to have the snowball fight.
Build a snow fort
Children will be kept busy building a for inside. (Flickr Photo/Personal Creations)
Make a inside snow fort using blankets and pillows. Then let the children pick a favorite movie to watch from the fort.
Perform a science experiment
Turn the snow day into a learning opportunity by performing science experiments. Use items in your home to make a volcano, seltzer rockets or even super gel. There are several fun weather-related experiments such as creating a tornado in a jar.
Build a living room campsite
Pretend it is summertime with a living room campsite. Children can wear pajamas and grab their sleeping bags. Put a tent up inside if you have one or create a fort. Turn the lights out to make it feel like a starry night. Make sure to have chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers ready for s'mores by the "fire."
'Ice skate' Indoors
While it may be too cold to go skating outside, children can have just as much fun skating indoors. Wrap sheets of wax paper around the children's feet with rubberbands to create make-shift "ice skates." Put some music on for the children to skate to on the carpet. This activity can be slippery, but it is a lot of fun.
Let us know your favorite snow day activities in the comments below.