1 How’s this for irony? February is Chocolate Lovers Month and Heart Health Month. Crank up the tunes and work up a sweat having a dance party with the kids, then top it off with a little chocolate.
2 Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? If he does, we’re in for six more weeks of winter, and hot cocoa is in order. If he doesn’t see his shadow, celebrate with ice cream; spring is on the way!
3 Super Bowl Sunday! Have the kids decorate the house with construction paper helmets, jerseys and footballs, then break out the snacks at kickoff.
4 Kiddos will have fun making indoor “snowmen” using marshmallows and toothpicks. The best part? They can eat their creations!
5 February is Black History Month. Visit your local library and check out children’s books on African-Americans who have helped shape America, then read them with your kids.
6 Make paper snowflakes with the kiddos and hang them around the house.
7 Too cold to play at the park? Head to an indoor playground such as Monkey Bizness or Cool Crest.
8 Declare a tech-free night at your house. Bust out the board games and snacks for a family game night.
9 Relive your childhood with your kids at an arcade! The whole family will find fun at Paradise Park, Power Play, Cool Crest or Zonkers
10 Volunteer as a family: pick up trash, help at a soup kitchen, organize a food drive, walk dogs at an animal shelter…whatever fits your family’s desires and abilities.
11 Pretend it’s summertime! Have a picnic on the living room floor.
12 Put on a kid-friendly Mardi Gras parade! Buy cheap beaded necklaces and have the kids make brightly-colored masks or costumes.
13 Have some family fun researching cold weather facts: find out the coldest temperature ever recorded, the location of the largest snowfall, etc.
14 Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrate by making valentines and delivering them to a local nursing home.
15 Feeling lazy? Bundle up the kids and take a brisk walk around the neighborhood or on a local trail to get energized.
16 Lace up those skates! Grab the family and spend the day ice skating. Afterward, enjoy a tasty cup of hot cocoa.
17 Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day. Bake cookies for a neighbor and leave them at the front door.
18 Celebrate President’s Day by “visiting” the White House. Go to www.WhiteHouse.gov for presidential biographies, facts and a virtual tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
19 Create edible snowmen: Dip Nutter Butters in melted white chocolate, then use chocolate chips and other candies for eyes, nose and buttons.
20 Time to clean out those closets! Have everyone gather some items—outgrown clothes, unused toys—to donate to a charity.
21 Have a scavenger hunt inside the house, in the backyard or at a mall. Kids love the thrill of searching for items.
22 Movie night at home! Let the kids make their own tickets, choose snacks and open a concession stand. Afterward, everyone can write their own review.
23 Beat the winter doldrums with a visit to Coco Key. The tropical-themed indoor water park will perk up the whole family!
24 Get those family pics off the camera or hard drive and into a scrapbook! Let each family member create a page or two.
25 Soup, anyone? Gather the kids to help prepare a meal. Even the youngest can help gather ingredients, stir and clean up.
26 Stay warm at a local museum, such as the Nelson-Atkins, Johnson County Museum, Steamboat Arabia or the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
27 Get moving! Create fitness stations in your home using stairs, balls, canned food “weights”, etc.
28 Only 20 days until spring! Make a list of activities your family would like to do when the weather warms up.
Tisha Foley counts the days until spring from her home in Belton.