Why not plan a fun activity that will do wonders to lift the winter blues - one that is an alternative to television or video games?

Who says picnics are just for summer! Lay a blanket on the living room floor, and set out all the fixings for lunch or dinner.

Or, if your home has a fireplace, try roasting marshmallows and make s'mores with chocolate and graham crackers, just like at summer camp.

Cooking can be comforting as well as a learning experience. Try a recipe that is new. Or, older children in a family can be asked to budget and plan a meal, do the grocery shopping along with a parent, and prepare the meal. Kids learn math and life skills, too.

Revisit classic board games like Monopoly or Clue. Or, do what our predecessors did before television - choose a book of fiction or short stories and have family members take turns reading a chapter aloud each evening.

Kids might enjoy starting a correspondence with a pen-pal. Not by e-mail, but in the old-fashioned way of letter-writing, on colorful stationery. There are many organizations on the Internet that can connect pen-pals the world over.

Or instead of pen-pals, send a letter of encouragement to someone abroad in the armed forces. Try an online search for organizations that offer this service.

Kids and parents can come together when they share their music. Are there some old vinyl recordings hidden in the attic? If there is still a working turntable, it could be an opportunity for some cross-generational understanding. Music is universal!

If there is a place by a sunny window, planting a small indoor garden (with herbs, vegetables, or flowering plants) can be a welcome diversion while waiting for spring.

Younger children might enjoy making caricatures of themselves. All it takes is a sheet of butcher paper the height of your child, and some markers or crayons. Trace the outline of your child's body on the butcher paper. They can color and decorate the figure, adding yarn for hair. Hang the finished work of art on a wall or door.

Excerpt from YellowBaloo Feb/Mar 2007, a publication of Yellowbird Press