Crafts & Fun

It’s cold. It’s dark. The driveway needs shovelling. Again. The kids’ boots have disintegrated, there isn’t a matching pair of mitts in the house, and all the stores are selling swimsuits.

There’s no getting around it. It’s February. So what’s a poor Canadian family to do? Why go play outside, of course. Given the choice between staring gloomily out the window all day or going out there and building a big freaking insane snow castle with our kids, well, is there actually any choice? And with the eyes of the sports world turning to Canada this month, it’s the perfect time to have your own taste of Olympic glory. Invite a few friends to join the fun, throw in some world-class snacks, and we can almost face that snow shovel again.

I said almost.

Snowball relay

Equipment: snow

Make a snowball. It should be solidly packed and sturdy.

Set up a course around the backyard or park, with designated spots to pass the snowball from one runner to the next. If the snow is deep and trudgy, all the better. To keep it interesting, make sure that each team has at least a wee kid, a medium-sized kid and one completely hapless adult runner.

Runners race along the designated course, passing the snowball to the next runner at the passing spots. The snowball must remain at least partially intact at the end of the race.

Originally published in Today's Parent, February 2010