Beating Cabin Fever

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January was an unusually cold month thanks to a sweeping polar vortex, and if Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction on Sunday is any indication, we are in for a few more weeks of cold weather before things warm up.  It is usually about this time of year, with all the fall holidays behind us, and Easter and spring break in the distant future that I begin to feel a bit of cabin fever.  Cooped up indoors with busy kids for weeks is enough to drive anyone crazy, so here are some suggestions for beating cabin fever.

• Plan an indoor field trip.  February is not the best time to visit the zoo or go to the park, but it is a great time for a lot of the activities listed below in the Field Trips and Activities section.  Plan a visit to the Children’s Museum or try making a craft at Color Clay Cafe.  For other options check to see what’s going on at your local library.  Most libraries have activities and story times for various age groups, and they are generally free.
• Plant a garden.  Even if you don’t garden (I have a notoriously black thumb), browsing through the pages of a flower and vegetable catalog will bring you hints of summer to come.  And when you are done, cut out the pictures and plant a garden on paper.  You can request catalogs from Park Seed, Farmer’s Seed, Breck’s, and many others.
• Get moving indoors.  Put on some classical music and practice your ballet or make an obstacle course from laundry baskets and pillows.  Anything that gets the whole family moving to shake off that “stuck indoors” feeling.
• Make a blanket tent and have a picnic lunch.  This is one of my kids’ favorite activities – getting to eat lunch on the living room floor is a real treat.
• Make a map.  When we get packages that have paper filling (like the large brown sheets that are often in Amazon boxes), I flatten them out and save them.  We like to use them to draw roads and houses on, and then drive toy cars all over our new city.
• Rearrange the furniture.  Sometimes when you are staring at the same four walls day after day, giving the room a fresh look can bring a feeling of freshness.  I like the feeling of freshness and order that even a simple task like rearranging the books on the shelf brings.
• Plan a special family dinner and get the kids to help.  We did this last week to celebrate a family milestone and it was so much fun.  We cooked a special meal, made a new dessert, lit candles on the table and dressed up for dinner.  I was surprised at how enthusiastic the kids were about getting dressed up for a special meal.
• Take advantage of the warm days.  South Carolina is blessed with a few warm days mixed in with the cold.  I try to keep our “grub” shoes by the back door so we can go out on warm days even when the ground is muddy.

I’m sure there are some ways to beat cabin fever – these are just some of our favorites.  What about you?  How do you beat cabin fever?