Winter definitely isn’t my favorite time of year. I shared in a previous post about snowshoeing that there used to be a time you couldn’t get me off the ski slopes or in out of the cold. But now that I’m older I don’t enjoy the cold all that much and I’d rather ‘hibernate’ all winter long.Which, when you have a 12 year old child that loves being outdoors no matter what season it is, hibernating isn’t an option!

I made a decision that this winter was going to be about getting out there and enjoying some fun activities. I started thinking about the things I did as a kid and young adult during the winters that I really enjoyed. Sometimes you just have to go back to the basics.

The first thing that came to mind was when I used to play outside with my friends. We would build snowmen and have contests to see who could build the biggest one. Or who could make the tiniest one (that is challenging let me tell you!). We used to have a ton of fun getting as creative as we wanted when it came to ‘dressing’ our snowmen. Sometimes our parents would let us take food coloring outside so we could snazzy things up with a little color. Food coloring doesn’t go a long way on a big ole snowman though! And of course we always named them too!

The best part of this winter activity? Kids of all ages – young and old – can enjoy it. So why not bundle up your family and head out to roll some snowballs? It’s a fun way to ‘shake’ off some of that cabin fever that this time of year brings. The fun doesn’t have to stop once you’ve built your snowman either. Once you go back inside get out some games or cards and sit around drinking hot chocolate and playing games while you warm up!

Are you suffering from the winter blahs? Tired of being cooped up inside all the time? Bored because there’s nothing to do in the winter?

If that’s you, I challenge you to embrace winter by the horns and take up a new activity – snowshoeing!

Let me first start by saying that I don’t snowshoe…not yet anyways. It’s on my ’2011 new winter activities to try’ list. There used to be a time when you couldn’t get me off the ski slopes. Now, you can barely get me to step foot outside during the winter months. But, this year that’s all about to change!

Life is short, winter is long so it’s time to start enjoying it! And considering Northern Michigan has an over abundance of snow it’s time to make use of it and start having some fun.

What is Snowshoeing?

a contrivance that may be attached to the foot to enable the wearer to walk on deep snow without sinking, esp. a light, racket-shaped frame across which is stretched a network of rawhide. -Dictionary.com

I’ve been doing some research on it. There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve – if you don’t make your strides bigger than a normal walking stride you’ll more likely find yourself tripping over your own two feet. Literally.

Beginner Showshoeing Tips

• use poles – The use of poles can help give you a little extra ‘stability’.
• guided tour – Do a Google search and see if you can find somewhere in your area that offers a guided tour. If not, go with someone experienced your first time out.
• rent snowshoes – Nationally known retailers like REI and Eastern Mountain Sports (although these are supposed to be nationwide I’m not familiar with either one of these chains) will rent snowshoes out. Locally, do a search and see where you can rent from. This way you can find test snowshoeing out before you invest in an expensive purchase (you’ll find they run from $100-$300 to buy).

Where To Snowshoe?

Anywhere that has snow on the ground! Of course, it might be more fun to check out any snowshoe trails in your area.

Those are just a few very minimum basic tips for someone looking to get out there and give snowshoeing a try. If you have any tips for a beginner, please share by leaving a comment!

Birthday Parties are just more fun with games. It is a great way to entertain your guests and help to pass the time. A good rule of thumb is to have 3 party games planned with a fourth in reserve if a game doesn’t take as long to play as expected. You can also play a game over again if it was popular with the guests.

Here are 5 fun birthday party games that are always popular:

1. A Pinata. There is just something about breaking into one and having treats spill out. Whether you do a traditional pinata that kids hit with a stick or a pull string pinata suitable for younger kids, this is sure to be great fun for everyone.

2. Musical Chairs. This classic game involves one chair for each child minus one to start. Play some music and when the music stops everyone tries to sit down. The child without a chair is out. For a fun variation, let that child control the music for the next turn.

3. Treasure Hunt. Hide clues around your home or backyard that lead to a treasure. The kids can work together or in teams. Hand them the first clue and off they go. For younger children the clues can contain pictures.

4. Bean Bag Toss. Get a large piece of cardboard and cut out some holes in the shapes of circles, squares and triangle. Paint the front and perhaps assign point values to each hole. Add legs to help it stand or prop it up against a wall or between two chairs. Give each child the chance to throw 3 bean bags though the holes and tally up the points. This is a game that the kids will want to play again.

5. Relay Race. Get your party guests up and moving with this game. You can relay with an item, with a tag, or even with an activity that each person must do before running the course. Separate kids into teams and have them race one at time from one point to another. Have a big coat, some large boots, and a silly hat for them to put on before running. Get creative.

It is always a good idea to ask your kids what they are looking forward to playing at their birthday parties too. They may have a bunch of great ideas. Have fun playing these fun party games!

Shannon Weidemann is best known as the Partyelf. Check out all the great Party Ideas on her website to help plan your next celebration.