Things to do when bored without electronics

If you are looking for alternative ways to entertain the kids and yourself this winter, try leaving the electronics in their chargers. Here are 50 suggestions to help combat cabin fever and get you through until the Spring thaw.

Use your imagination:

Make paper airplanes out of colored paper

Cut out paper dolls and accessories from newspapers

Create doll houses and furniture out of felt pieces

Build skyscrapers out of Lego® or Tinkertoys®

Use large cardboard boxes to create kid-sized houses that they can decorate

Get outside:

Take a walk around the neighborhood with the dog(s) or a friend

Make a family of snow people

Play a game of tic-tac-snow

Snow graffiti

Ice cube scavenger hunt

Make a game of it:

Pick card games like Uno, Hearts or Rummy

Try a dice game like Tenzi or LCR

Bring out the board games - classics like Monopoly or Sorry!

Create a Battleship game out of two pizza boxes

Tape a tic-tac-toe board on the floor and use colored bean bags for the X and O

Expand your mind:

Play Sudoku or complete a word search

Browse your local library for a good book

Set up a home laboratory and create some science experiments

Put together a model car

Work on a puzzle

Play a road trips game without leaving the house:

Name that Tune - Turn on the radio and see how quickly you can identify the songs

I Spy - Describe something in the house so the other players can guess what it is

Alphabet Game - Name animals, foods or athletes starting with the letter A, then B and so on

Mad Libs - Fill in the blanks to a short story with nouns, verbs and adjectives

Bingo - You will find free printable bingo sheets online

Spend time with family:

Look through photo albums or school memorabilia

Use your talents to create a family variety show

Cook dinner together or bake cookies

Sing karaoke or have a dance party

Listen to a book on CD together every night

Get crafty:

Make homemade play dough from Kool-Aid

Build structures with marshmallows and toothpicks

Create pasta people with glue and a variety of pasta shapes

Use duct tape and cardboard to make swords and shields

Design Popsicle stick snowflakes, paint white and hang in the windows

Get out and go:

Go bowling

Play indoor laser tag

Head to an indoor pool for a game of Marco Polo

Get messy with a game of paintball

Try rock climbing

Do something for the animals:

Teach your dog a new trick

String popcorn on a string or make homemade suet for the birds

Collect towels and blankets for the animal shelter

Create a maze for your hamster

Make a no-sew pet bed for your cat

Think Spring:

Have an early Easter egg hunt

Have an indoor picnic or beach party

Use watercolors to paint a summer sky

Make fork printed flowers with paint

Order a caterpillar or butterfly kit and watch them grow

Pam is a freelance writer and mother of three. This list was compiled over the last 16 years of hearing her children say,  “I’m bored!”

Monday, May 5th starts Screen Free Week, which means that thousands of people will turn off their TVs, video games, hand-held devices and computers. Yes, computers have become necessary tools, but they're also a major distraction that suck up hours upon hours of our daily lives. So reset your screen addiction and dust off your creative thinking skills!

Here are

100 ideas

to get you going!

1. Call a friend you haven't talked to for awhile.
2. Read a guilty pleasure novel.
3. Tidy up your garden and then share extra perennials with your neighbors.
4. Start gathering up extra stuff for a garage sale or thrift store run.
5. Write a letter to an elderly family member.
6. Go to sleep earlier.
7. Invite a friend over for an afternoon of chatting and snacks.
8. Assemble extra meals for your freezer.
9. Go for a bike ride.
10. Start a journal.
11. Put on your favorite music from high school and belt. Out. Those. Tunes!
12. Finish up your craft projects.
13. Choose one room in your house to clean, declutter and redecorate using stuff you already own.
14. Plant some edible seeds. Don't have a garden? Many veggies such as lettuce and radishes grow well in pots.
15. Go see some live entertainment. Local community theater is usually affordable enough to be a treat but not a wallet buster.
16. Pick up an instrument and practice, practice, practice.
17. Bake a delicious treat, and then share the bounty with your neighbors.
18. Go outside with your kids and kick a soccer ball or shoot hoops.
19. Send an unexpected gift to a child.
20. Pull out your mending pile and bring your wardrobe back to life.
21. Put your best sheets on your bed and then take a nap.
22. Write down your goals for the summer.
23. Offer to babysit for a friend, and then plan some fun screen-free activities for the evening.
24. Set up a still life and draw it, even if you're normally not an artistic person.
25. Drive your car to the fanciest neighborhood in town and go for a walk among the mansions.
26. Bring a notebook to a coffee shop and do nothing but doodle to see where your mind goes.
27. Bake bread and then relax into the smell.
28. Pull out your board games and play into the night.
29. Have your neighbors over for an informal potluck.
30. Take all your blankets and pillows and build a kick-ass fort with your kids. Eat dinner in there.
31. Set up a lemonade stand.
32. Lay a blanket out in your backyard and stargaze.
33. Pull out your piles of paper to organize, shred and file.
34. Take a long hot bath while listening to your favorite music.
35. Go to the library and ask about free activities for adults.
36. Pet your dog/cat/guinea pig/unicorn/ferret.
37. Take advantage of any sunny days to wash your bedding and hang them on the clothesline.
38. Take an old friend out for coffee/wine/dessert.
39. Read aloud to your kids, even if they think they're too old for it.
40. Go to your favorite thrift shop and photograph the weirdest stuff you can find.
41. Put a fresh coat of paint on a tired old piece of furniture.
42. Use your gym membership.
43. Recreate your favorite restaurant meal at home.
44. Visit a museum in your own town.
45. Take another nap.
46. Find all the gift cards you've received through the years and treat yo self.
47. Prepare a meal to bring to the parents of young children. Trust me, they need it.
48. Pull out your comic books and catch up with Archie, Spiderman and Buffy.
49. Open your windows and air out your house.
50. Drive to the country and stop at all farm stands.
51. Make your own postcards and mail them to far-flung friends.
52. Read an autobiography.
53. Get a book of craft projects from the library and attempt creating something.
54. Make a flower bouquet from your own garden, even if it's mostly greenery.
55. Hula hoop/jump rope/play hopscotch.
56. Go for a hike.
57. Wash all your sneakers and shine all your shoes.
58. Trade clothes with a same size friend.
59. Visit with an older family member and learn what they did instead of watching TV.
60. Go on a picnic.
61. Call a friend who's going through hard times to let her know that you're thinking of her.
62. Treat yourself as you would a guest and prepare yourself a sumptuous feast.
63. Go window shopping in your favorite district, but leave your money and credit cards at home.
64. Finish a home improvement project.
65. Volunteer at a pet shelter/school/food pantry.
66. Go swimming with a friend.
67. Go to your local beauty school and treat yourself to a new haircut.
68. Declutter and reorganize your closet in a way that's pleasing to the eye.
69. Buy yourself something completely indulgent from a bakery.
70. Go find a local body of water. A river, pond or ocean will restore your spirits.
71. Light a fire in the fireplace and pour a glass of wine.
72. Take another nap.
73. Write a short story.
74. Go to your nearest track and do some power walking.
75. Surprise your family with a fancy dessert on a weeknight.
76. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure.
77. Go to an author reading at your favorite book store.
78. Bust out that deck of cards for an hour or two of gin rummy, poker, solitaire or go fish.
79. Do an anonymous good deed for a stranger.
80. Find some live music to enjoy.
81. Sit at an outdoor cafe and people watch.
82. Offer to help a friend for a couple of hours with whatever she needs.
83. Plan a day trip and explore your own state.
84. Dump out one junk drawer and get it clean and organized.
85. Borrow a friend's dog and take it for a nice long walk.
86. Dedicate one day to all your boring errands to get them over with.
87. Trade magazines with a friend, and then bring the whole stack into bed.
88. Spread a sheet on your living room floor and dump out all of your Legos and start creating.
89. Challenge your kids to create their own board games, and then be willing to play the games.
90. Plan a date night with your sweetie.
91. Take a nature walk in your own neighborhood and take close up photos of the plants and flowers.
92. Stare into space and let your mind wander.
93. Read the actual newsprint version of your local newspaper.
94. Write a letter of appreciation to your mother as a mother's day gift.
95. Sign up for a one day class in an area of interest.
96. Sleep late on your days off from work.
97. Go to a comedy club and laugh your ass off.
98. Pore through your cookbooks and find new recipes to try.
99. Do things that would normally be outside of your routine.
100. Take another nap.

The average American spends 25 hours per day in front of a screen. Can you set one week aside to recharge

your

creative juices?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."

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Blogger, The Non-Consumer Advocate

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