I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. In all my years of attending public school in my adolescence, I can remember having one snow day when school was cancelled due to weather conditions.
ONE.
This year has been a totally different story, as you can imagine. I’ve lost count of how many we’ve had this year. Thanks Polar Vortex.
Don’t get me wrong–snow days are good. They make my hubby VERY happy (he’s a teacher). All the snow days have given me extra time to spend with my family and for that I am which I’m thankful.
But after awhile my patience starts to wear thin. Cabin fever really set in this winter!
I’ve discovered that the key to surviving cabin fever is to think of fun things to do with your kids.
Yesterday I decided to make a fort in my daughter’s room. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.
Then I looked at the clock and discovered that it was lunch time. I had to get the kids to eat lunch soon so we wouldn’t be late for school. I hate it when I just start something fun and discover we have to stop!
Then the thought hit me:
Have a picnic in the fort!
So that’s what we did!
Eating a meal in a “different” place makes the whole event more exciting for kids. All of her characters got to eat along with us!
Using the red sheet for the fort cast a beautiful pink light everywhere. My poor son–he’s constantly surrounded by all things pink! He doesn’t seem to mind, though!
Making silly faces is one of our favorite things to do.
Indoor Fort Picnic Ideas
For the fort:
Old flat bedding sheets in a queen or king size work best for forts. They’re easy to work with because the size is big but they don’t weigh very much.
I used a rubber band and attached one corner of the sheet to one of the ceiling fan pulls to get the sheet really high up giving us more head room!
I put the rest of the corners on top of dressers and furniture and put something to hold it there.
For the food:
Finger foods work best. On our menu was peanut butter and jelly, grapes and pretzels. They’re easy to make and easy to clean up.
I used a cookie sheet as a tray to carry all the food upstairs to the fort.
Give the kids a little something they’ll be really excited about. Maybe a sucker or a special dessert!
Need more ideas of fun things to do with your kids? Follow my Fun Stuff To Do board on Pinterest for some great ideas!
Follow Carrie @ carriethishome.com’s board Fun stuff to do on Pinterest.
What are some things you do to avoid cabin fever?
This post linked to Whimsy Wednesday, Create It Thursday, Moonlight and Mason Jars, Thrifty Thursday, Ladies Only Blog Share, Family Fun Friday, Inspire Me Please, The Weekend Wind Down, Link Party Palooza, Skip The Housework Saturday, Inspiration Monday, and Hit Me With Your Best Shot.
There is just something so magical about a blanket fort! My 11 yr old will still play in them with his younger brothers.
Your cookie dough and blogging story made me smile. A great way to relax!
I’m a former teacher and actually thankful I am NOT teaching this year. Too crazy…and the summer is going to be SHORT. We’re in PA (near MD), and have been hit with many snow days…as of now we’re in school until June 23.
This is a cute idea! Thanks for joining WWDParty again.
I have some friends out in that area and they’ve all gotten a crazy amount of snow days! Hopefully your summer will still be sweet even though it’s short!
That is just the cutest idea! I remember when my kids were little they would make forts in the great room out of all the couch cushions and they had such great fun doing it! It’s crazy all the snow days, isn’t it? We didn’t have that many when I was a kid either, and my kids seem to get tons. Here’s to hoping we’re at the tail end of it though! Visiting from LOBS!
I really hope we’re done with winter after this storm. I don’t think I can take much more!
Another fantastic childhood memory – brava mommy!
Huge fan of forts in our house as well. My siblings and I loved spent hours making them when we were growing up. Sheets are the best fort building materials. What a fun morning.
What a fun idea, Carrie! We’ve done indoor picnics, but I never thought to add the fort fun factor into the mix. Thankfully, it’s a gorgeous day outside today, but this will come in handy when the rainy season sets in. Thanks! Pinning.
Glad you have nice weather where you are! Until then we’ll keep doing fun activities like this!
What a fun idea!We have had a lot of snow here where I live too so I have been looking for ideas to keep boredom at bay too! Stopping by from Moonlight and Mason Jars link up party!
What a great idea! My 19 month old daughter and I are having a serious case of cabin fever! Stopping by from Whimsy Wednesday link up.
Cheers,
Lisa @ welldressedpeanuts.com
What a fun idea! I think we might just have to do that around here since the weather is getting cold again.
And can I say, my son and your son look so much alike! Can def tell they are cousins!
Our boys really do look alike! Even more so now that they have the same haircut!
Hey Carrie! With the exception of this year, we hardly ever have snow days. But the heat and humidity of summertime keeps us indoors. Last year I made a list of fun activities, projects, and field trips for us to do. I’m adding your fun indoor picnic to my Summer Fun Pinterest Board!