Snowed in? Make your own fun

Remember the thrill of a snow day when you were a kid? Holding your breath while you desperately listened for your school's name to be called on the list of closings? Somehow, we grew up and snow days turned into a scheduling and driving headache.

If you're lucky enough to get a snow day this week, we thought we'd prepare a list of fun things to do to shrug off the stress and enjoy the day. Try these activities with your friends or family:

• Take an old spray bottle, fill with water and food coloring. Then head out into the snow and write your name, or make a face or colorful designs on your snowman (just don't spray on a bare fence or anything that might stain).

• Create a Kids' Idol show where the youngsters dress up like their favorite artists and perform. You can videotape, then later watch with popcorn.

• Create a picture on a window with dry-erase markers. When finished, close the curtains, go outside and see what it looks like. You could also practice writing backward.

• Have your kids write a movie script, create costumes and "stages," and then film. After dinner, cook up some popcorn and snuggle down on the couch to watch your creation.

• Snazz up a cookie-baking session by turning it into a scavenger hunt for items around the house to use as shape cutters, or stash toppings in unusual places and let the kids hunt for them.

• Take a pretend camping trip in your living room. Pack up your blankets, pillows and snacks and tent (or a large blanket to hang over two chairs). Cut up orange, yellow and red colored paper to make a fire, sing songs, tell ghost stories and eat your snacks. Then snuggle up for a nap in the tent and pretend it's night.

• Blow bubbles outside. When it's really cold, the bubbles shatter when they hit the ground, which is pretty fun for kids to watch.

• Collect fresh, clean snow and make real snow cones by drizzling fruit syrup over the top. Or make your own snow ice cream (mix 1 gallon snow; 1 cup white sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and stir in up to 2 cups milk until desired consistency).

• Have your kids put all their toys in a huge pile and sort out several to donate to charity.

• Knock on the doors of elderly to make sure they're OK and offer to shovel their driveways for free.

• Play themed relay games, like a race to get dressed in all their snow gear.