10 Cheap ways to beat cabin fever

When Mother Nature gives us her worst, create fun activities for your family using things you already have. See what you can do for FREE with your kids this winter without even leaving your home.

► Old sheets: Younger children will enjoy building a fort. Pull out old sheets and blankets and help kids cover tables or chairs. Let the kids decide what the fort is—a preschool, library, campsite, restaurant and so on. Help them add appropriate props, such as writing tablets and crayons for school or books for the library.

► Your computer: Download FREE BOOKS at gutenberg.org or questia.com.

► Castoff t-shirts: Teens and older children will love to help you transform their old t-shirts into cute wardrobe essentials. All you need is a needle and thread, ribbon and our creative ideas.  

• See instructions: DIY T-shirts

► Shaving cream: Hide small toys in blobs of shaving cream; let kids find the treasures.

► Your kitchen: Turn your next meal into a family affair by letting kids help out with the preparation and cooking. Choose easy recipes like Low-Fat Mac n’ Cheese with Peas or Sloppy Toms, so you can enjoy each other’s company without worrying about a complicated recipe.

► Their creativity: Hold an acting class. Call out the name of a character, animal or object, and have kids act it out.

► Your closet: Raid your closet for old dress clothes and giveaways so kids can play dress-up.

► Dried rice: Create your own sandbox indoors with rice, beans, oats and other dried goods. Find a large bin to fill with the dried goods, and use shovels and other plastic toys to help kids create their own castles.  

• See instructions: Indoor sandbox

► Balloon: Blow up a balloon for a game of indoor volleyball.

► Old jewelry: Use old brooches, large buttons and clip-on earrings to transform your refrigerator into a colorful work of art. Let the kids help you search the house to find items to use as magnets, then get together at the kitchen table to securely glue small round magnets to the back. Use your attractive new magnets to proudly display artwork and good grade reports.  

• See instructions: Jeweled magnets