How to Survive a School Break With Kids

When kids are home from school and underfoot seemingly every minute of the day, it's easy to become frustrated and ill tempered. The kids become bored, and then they whine constantly for activities to occupy their time. Before you tear out your hair, however, try these suggestions first.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Grab the mismatched socks and make your own homemade puppets. Give the kids a bit of glue and scrap pieces of fabric, and let them decorate the hours away. After they've finished, ask them to create a puppet show and let you be the audience.
2. Cook with your kids. Everyone likes a homemade treat, so let your kids help with making easy, kid-friendly recipes. Freeze chocolate-covered bananas, or bake English muffin pizzas. You could even toss in a few lessons in math if you're clever enough.
3. Get outside. No matter what the weather, nothing beats the boredom blues like sunshine and fresh air. Take a hike, or go for a bike ride. Run through the sprinkler, or play in the mud.
4. Shake it up. Turn on the music and dance. Wear glitzy costumes and pretend to be rock stars. Kids love it when parents cut loose and act silly.
5. Do something special and out of the ordinary, like have an indoor picnic on the living room floor. Fix all your favorite movie foods and pretend that you are at a drive-in.
6. Check your community listings for local events. Attend a concert-in-the-park or county fair. Visit an apple orchard or petting zoo.
7. Ship them off. When all else fails, send them to Grandma's house.