As I write this my husband and I are staring at the reality of spending a sixth day snowed in with our seven-year-old son.

Yes, sixth. As in one, two, three, four, five, and six.

Our part of the country got hammered by Winter Storm Jonas, and we’re probably looking at a few more house-bound days while our southern city’s officials figure out what to do about almost two feet of snow. At this point, we’ve exhausted our arsenal of boredom-busters. We’ve read all the books. We’ve thrown all the snow balls. We’ve watched all the movies. We’ve played all the bored games. We’ve done all the puzzles.

(Some of us have consumed all the booze. After bedtime, of course.)

Judging by the weather maps I obsessively monitored over the weekend, I know my husband and I are not alone in this struggle. We’re all digging deep to make it from breakfast to bedtime. Here are few activities I’ve tried with our little guy over the last few days. May they be of help to you in your efforts to keep minds active, spirits high, and cabin fever manageable.

Kids on the Catwalk

Get everyone thinking warm thoughts by pulling out your kids’ spring and summer clothes for a fashion show! Leave the ensemble-creation to them—you just blast the music and be ready to offer couture commentary as the kiddos strut their stuff down the hallway carpet. An added bonus: you’ll be able to do a quick survey of which items will last another summer and which ones are ready to be passed along.

Fun with Forensic Art

Stay with me here. It’s going to be cute, as evidenced by that picture just to your right.

Grab some paper and crayons and ask your child to imagine a monster. Have him or her to describe the monster for you to draw. Be sure to ask lots of specific questions so you can include as much detail as possible. After the big reveal, switch off and let your kid give the illustrating a go. Expect lots of laughs and shouts of “AGAIN!”

Pass Along Old Pastimes

Think back to when you were your child’s age. What did you love doing? Making friendship bracelets? Word searches? Magic tricks? Whatever your “thing” was, spend some time introducing it to your kids. You’ll get warm fuzzies from teaching them something near and dear to your heart, and they’ll love hearing about what you were like when you were little.

As for me, when I was seven years old I was mildly obsessed with drawing floor plans for imaginary buildings.* You can bet your sweet bippy I’m breaking out my mechanical pencils and gum eraser for that kid tomorrow.

Shaving Cream Shenanigans

This one is really simple…

1. Fill bath tub.
2. Put child in bath tub.
3. Hand child can of shaving cream.
4. Enjoy.

Kids will love that they’re being allowed—encouraged, even—to make a “mess.” You will love that your kids are getting a bath without any gnashing of teeth or rending of garments. The uncontrollable giggling is also pretty great, too.

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What do you and yours do to keep busy/happy/sane on snow days? Share your ideas in the comments. Really…please?

*I have no idea where this came from.