It’s that time of year again! Here in the northeast US, anyone with young children knows that the post-holiday winter doldrums come with a very unique set of challenges. With freezing temperatures and gloomy weather, entertaining little ones indoors can feel daunting and chaotic!
Last year, I wrote a blog post with six activities that helped my family beat the winter blues (I’m saddened to report that the last of the sea monkeys crossed the rainbow bridge this past December, RIP). This year, with my daughter now a year older (4.5), and with the fun addition of my newborn son, I thought it fitting to update the list with what we've been doing to survive the long winter days at the Buzzelli house:
1. Rocks: Coincidently, my daughter received a few rock-themed Christmas gifts this year, including a rock painting kit and a rock tumbler. We spent a nice long morning painting rocks to look like little penguins and snowmen, which still adorn my dining room windowsill today. The rock tumbler has been a neat experiment, and my daughter has enjoyed seeing the transformation of our plain-looking yard rocks and gravel into smooth “gems.” For a bonus, we set her up with a bowl of soapy water and a toothbrush, and she has also enjoyed cleaning and caring for her pebbly treasures. Rocks are also abundant and free!
2. Karaoke: A mini Bluetooth-enabled karaoke machine is a must-have for any budding star. The most laughter-inducing performances at my house include a very off-key rendition of “Into the Unknown” and my 2-year-old nephew testing out the reverb features. My personal hits have been early-era Taylor Swift, of course. I also recommend pairing this activity with a disco light for added fun (and easy entertainment for newborns!).
3. Indoor Disc Golf: This was my disc-golf-obsessed husband’s genius idea. With some mini frisbees and a basket, we enjoyed playing an indoor version of this traditionally outdoor game. My daughter has had some unique ideas about how to make the course more complex, including the addition of stuffed animal obstacles and occasionally jumping in front of the basket mid-throw. My son has also enjoyed his role as caddy.
4. Scrapbooking: My daughter was eager and excited to share the news about her new brother with her classmates and friends, so we printed a bunch of pictures for her to cut out and paste into a homemade scrapbook. She has also enjoyed adding stickers and labels to each page, and of course it has melted my heart every time she asked how to spell “Baby Brother.”
5. Baths: When in doubt, just add water! Both kids love the tub. It’s warm, they’re contained, and it’s a great way to get out their extra energy before bedtime. A little bubble bath goes a long way, and of course the disco light has made a few appearances here too. We have no regrets about extending bathtime on cold winter days!
6. Nerf Guns: Our basement has evolved into a battlefield. While definitely not newborn-friendly, nerf wars and target practice have been fun ways to warm up and blow off some energy. Just remember protective eyewear.
Standing in solidarity with other parents of young children this winter, stay strong and know that spring is coming!
Warmly,
Hannah
Hannah Buzzelli joined the Bennett Operations team in 2019 where she helped manage the company’s daily workflow and provided natural expertise in process refinement. In 2022, Hannah took on a new role at Bennett as Scholarship Programs Manager, and in this capacity she has led the building out of all aspects of Bennett’s Scholarship Management Program: the IT platform for the receipt of scholarship applications, the processes whereby scholarship students are selected, the communications related to all stages of the application process, the onboarding of new scholarship recipients, and the student tracking and reporting required by the corporate scholarship provider. She has also helped to develop the mentoring program that supports scholarship recipients as they transition from secondary school their native countries to universities around the world.
Over the years, Bennett International Education Consultancyhas worked with hundreds of corporations across the globe, many of them Fortune 500 companies, providing domestic and international school advisement & placement services - preschool through university - to the dependents of relocating employees. In addition to education placement, our team provides customized consulting for corporations with a range of education issues: education policy writing & benchmarking, tuition studies, group move advisement & planning, and remote education solutions.