What to do with kids during winter break?

[Rhiamon]

So I am starting to plan what to do with DD7 during the school winter break. I checked the library and there is nothing going on. Almost everything else is 15 dollars a person way out of my price range. So does anyone have any free or inexpensive things they do with there kids during the winter break?
I am going to keep up with DD tutoring and school work, and planned on baking cookies, but that is not going to keep her busy the full 2 weeks, and I don't want her to just sit in front of the tv, or computer which is not good. With her ADHD she has to be very structured and know what is going on everyday so if I don't plan it now and just fly by the seat of my pants I can see it being a very very long two weeks.

[2ndGenGranola]

I believe kids need to "veg" during their breaks. Kids are pushed so hard now and toted from one activity to another. They need time to just be a kid and play with their toys.

[MomToTwoBoys]

My kids will be on an extended winter break while we look at a new house. In the meantime, I'd rather have them veg out and relax than have them with their noses in the books. Don't get me wrong; I love school. But when they're little, it's not like it's going to matter if and when they decide to pick up a book again.

We won't have anything for them to do except maybe the XBox 360 and the Wii, but they usually like running around the house at my inlaws and doing things like coloring and drawing and just hanging out with everyone else.

[frugalwarrior2]

Mine are older now but
-library
-skating
-sledding
-sleepover at friends
-pizza party
-art museum
-nature center
-picture taking
-mall to see xmas displays (take drinks and a snack)
-drive around at night looking at xmas lights on houses
-check out if parks and recs has a parade,kids event or tree lighting
-decorate house
-make candy
-have her make decorations/ornaments
-cross country skiing at a park (rental)
-wrap gifts w/ her
Couple strenous play w/ quieter play after. In other words wear her out to sit. Good luck from one who knows.

[lisaflex]

dd is going to do do 2 days of winter camps from 10 - 3. the rest of the days, hopefully we can set up some playdates and also have one day at the beginning of break and one at the end to just chill and veg and sleep in and watch movies all day!

[jas]

Both of mine are older now so I don't have to plan anything for them. When they were smaller though we just hung out and didn't do much. They played with friends, slept, did all the stuff they could not do when school was in. We never did things that cost much, didn't have the money.

My dd 17 who is not a social butterfly by any means just likes to chill by herself. Since it will be a few weeks off I am sure she will make plans to be with her two closest friends for a bit of it.

One has a job so she has some spending money, the other is spoiled rotten and she has money, then there is dd who is niether. I will let her do a few things but not going out to lunch and movies and the mall everyday thats for sure.

[Rhiamon]

Thanks everyone
She is going to get to veg don't get me wrong, and she has no extra activites so she is not go go go all the time. She will still have tutoring because of her LD, and ADHD she gets behind real fast and is all ready behind.
I am going to make learning activites fun like write a Yule story, and read Christmas/Yule stories.
I don't drive but we could walk around and look at Christmas lights I like that idea.
I thought maybe we might have a PJ day and watch movies one afternoon. For new years I am going to let her stay up as late as she can keep her eyes open.
She does worse though when she is not structured. I have a white board where I right in school time, home time, free time, tutoring etc and if she is going to her dads, because I find it helps her a lot to know what is going to happen and to know what her day is going to be like.

[sunshine]

I always used school breaks and summer vacation to teach life skills -- cooking, laundry, mending, finances (yes, even at such a young age, they can learn to determine a good deal, match coupons to sales, etc.), simple home/car repairs, etc. We'd do it together, so it never seems drudgery.

[frugrrl]

My kids are looking forward to just vegging out for those two weeks.

If you want something to plan for, this blog has some fun activities: Almost Unschoolers Maybe you can plan to make something each day. Or make two somethings each day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.

[Mrs. Garcia]

-The play area at the mall wears mine out when it's too cold for the park.

-Make Christmas cards for friends/family.

-Good old fashioned board games (we are a board game loving family!!!)

-Search for some coupons for one of those Jump Zone type places. I see them all the time in our local advertising flyer that comes in the mail. It's usually about $7 with a coupon.

[bonnotsm9]

This site has free printable lapbooks. She might like doing one of these with a book you check out from the library.

Literature Based Unit Studies Gu

A Christmas Around the World Unit with recipes:

Free Christmas Around the World Unit & Lapbook

[Lindsey]

Food coloring and water in a spray bottle...go paint the snow!

[LuLuBleen]

Food coloring and water in a spray bottle...go paint the snow!

This is a great idea! If we get snow this year, I want to do this and I'm old!

[valerian]

One thing that I suggest is something that my kids and I like to do together. Put on some awesome music...I usually put on some 80's music...and then dance around together and jump around and play air guitar or air drums or do the dancing and jumping and playing all together. Sometimes we form a conga line and dance around the living room. It's fun and it burns energy!

Make ornaments, color pictures, make, color, and cut out paper dolls...then play with them. You could make up some Mad Libs ahead of time and do them together. Make your own books with pictures she makes and dialog she thinks of. My 9-yr-old likes to make books on his own. Make homemade slime (look on the Internet for recipes) and play with it. Do some easy, at-home, science experiments (again look online for ideas). Some things my kids did this week were...they made Viking bread and ate it. They made a fizzy, lemon drink that really wowed them when the baking soda bubbles rose up to the top of their glasses. They made a one inch square "window" in an index card and observed various things from nature with it and wrote down what they saw and drew pics of it. One son used a slice of soil from the yard. One observed bark. You look for colors, shapes, anything moving, etc.

[BlissMommy]

I'm having baby #5 during break, so the kids will be oohing and aahing over her, playing video games, the girls will play with their beauty stuff, and some outdoor playtime.