jagovino The first snowstorm came and went, the air is cold and the icicles are glistening. If you live in an area where you experience a real winter, it can be magical, especially around the holidays. But as a parent of two energetic boys living in the frozen tundra of Connecticut in the winter months, it can be downright dreadful. Add a global pandemic and school and business shutdowns and now we are really in for a long winter season. With this week being winter break, I decided to put together a list of things to do with kids to keep them busy. Most of these ideas are local to Fairfield County but some can be purchased to experience at home! Hopefully, these can keep the kids busy this long winter season and bring some relief to parents sick of being the camp counselors at home.
If you feel like venturing out…
Snow Tubing or Ski School
If you are local to an area ski resort, I highly recommend calling to see if they offer drop in day programs for ski school or if they have snow tubing. My sons have done both and although they aren’t avid skiers, they love snow tubing! With quarantine regulations, this year we stayed in our state and went to Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall CT. It was a small mountain with friendly and accomodating staff people and the lodges were all open to to stay warm, order hot chocolate or food, or use the restroom. The snow tubing was restricted to a certain amount of people and the mountain seemed less crowded than usual. My sons had a blast and our tickets were reserved for an hour and a half, which I felt was just the right amount of time. There are other local mountains in CT like Ski Sundown and Ski Southington and in the Berkshires, we loved visiting Butternut where my boys experienced tubing as well as ski school and enjoyed both. So even if your kids are not seasoned skiers, they can still take advantage of the many ski mountains around and enjoy a perfect, winter actiivty.
Seaquest Trumbull
I am inspired to check out Seaquest, an indoor, hands-on aquarium after I saw Uncharteryears take their kids there. It’s right in the Trumbull Mall, with its own entrance, so no need to go into the mall. It is such a fun experience for kids as they can touch and feed the animals and also see them in their sea habitat. The exhibits at Seaquest include walking through a rainforest and the Great Wall of China. There are added experiences you can get tickets to including interacting with otters and sloths or if you’re really adventurous you can even snorkel with a stingray. Overall, Seaquest is way more than an aquarium and I can’t wait to book tickets and take my boys here soon!
Camp Store and Pinstripes at the SONO Collection Mall
The Sono Collection Mall has been open for a little over a year and it has quickly become a favorite for our family. The Camp Store is an interactive experience where kids of all ages can work on crafts, play games, engage in virtual experiences and hands-on adventures, and also shop for the latest and greatest toys. On our most recent trip, we ordered tickets ahead of time and when we got there, my boys were able to pick out any craft they wanted. My younger son chose to splatter paint a frisbee and my older son made magnetic, glitter slime. We were at the store for almost two hours and my boys could have stayed longer walking around and playing with all of the fun, interactive experiences, but it was lunchtime and we needed to eat! So we headed to Pinstripes, which is the bowling alley offered at the Sono Mall. We got a table to order food right next to a Bocci Ball Court and my kids played while we waited for our lunch, The lanes for bowling were reserved ahead of time and were distanced between customers. Everyone wore a mask and we felt very comfortable being there. The Sono Mall also has live events, artists, interactive boards, and decorations and is overall a fun experience just for kids to walk around in. It’s a great activity to take the kids on a cold, winter day to pass the time and maybe even get some shopping in!
Honey Joes Family Coffeehouse
Another local destination that I have heard great things about, especially for moms with younger kids, is Honey Joes Family Coffeehouse. Located in Downtown Stamford, Honey Joe’s not only offers a full menu of coffee, teas, smoothies, and snacks, but this new coffeehouse also offers a play area for younger kids to enjoy with drop-in times and safety procedures in place. What better way to spend a snowy, winter afternoon, than with a friend over a latte while your kids entertain themselves in the safely constructed play area? I wish we had this when my kids were younger. If you want to check out another local coffee bar (without your kids) I highly recommend Turning Point Coffee Roasters, my favorite Matcha and Chai Lattes in town!
If you want to stay in…
KiwiCo Crate Subscription
When you don’t feel like leaving the house but need to get your kids off of screens or stop the sibling wrestling matches, get them a unique subscription box catered to their likes and needs. My 7-year-old got a KiwiCo. subscription box last Christmas and we renewed it again for him this year. The box comes with an age-appropriate STEM craft that kids of all ages and genders would enjoy. The boxes are catered to your child’s age and include all of the materials you need to create a cool craft or invention. My son has made his own pieces of art as well as a mechanical grabber and sweeper! The instructions are easy for kids to understand, although some adult supervision is usually needed. There are many other kids-related subscription boxes to check out such as Little Passports Box, Bitsbox (which my older son loved), and Foodstirs. There are also kits you can get sent straight to your homes such as the slime making kit from the Sloomoo Institue or cookie decorating kits from Crazy Confections or other local bakers.
Best Time Ever At-Home Art Kits
Best Time Ever is a local arts and crafts studio that has many offerings for kids of all ages. I have been taking my boys there for years and in the Spring, when we were quarantined, we took advantage of their at-home painting kits, which are still available. We stopped by the studio right before Christmas and had the whole place to ourselves! My sons each chose a piece to paint and once they had their colors picked out and their smocks on, they went into total zen mode and painted quietly for at least 15 minutes! It was a nice treat for me! Once the boys were done with their masterpieces, they were glazed and dried and ready to take home! Best Time Ever also offers wood projects, t-shirt decorating, slime making, and other papercrafts. They also have a play area for little kids and have an abundance of paper and markers for kids to enjoy while they wait for their arts to dry. If you do not feel comfortable going intl the studio this winter, they will continie to oiffer at-home kits of any of the projects I mentioned above,. If you visit or call in an order, mention “MommininStyle20” to get $5 off $25.
When all else fails…
The Car Wash
When we were stuck inside for 3 months during the Spring Quarantine, one thing that got me and my boys out of the house and on a little “adventure” was going through the drive-thru car wash! I got a monthly membership which cost me $20 for unlimited washes and we would go once a week to get my car squeaky clean and for us to just enjoy getting out of the house! My boys are 10 and 7 and if it entertained them, I am sure it would work wonders for even smaller kids!
Here are some other great, local ideas of things to do with kids this winter:
The Maritime Aquarium, Norwalk
The Indoor Carousel at Mill River Park, Stamford
Paint at Lucky Penny Pottery, Hope Street Stamford
Stamford Museum and Nature Center
Local Libraries
Local Ice Skating Rinks
