7. Older children may find out more about Ireland. What are similarities and differences to your own country? How are you and Irish children similar and different? Make Venn Diagrams for your comparisons.

8. Here is a finger play, "Ten Funny Leprechauns," taken from Swing into Spring, Macmillan Seasonal Activity Packs, 1988, Macmillan Educational Company. Try making finger puppets to accompany this dramatic play!

"Ten funny leprechauns Danced in a line. One found a shamrock And then there were nine.

Nine sleepy leprechauns Stayed out too late. One fell fast asleep And then there were eight.

Eight little leprechauns All named Kevin. One said, "I'm Joe!" And then there were seven.

Seven helpful leprechauns Picked up some sticks. One grew tired of this And then there were six.

Six hot leprechauns All took a dive. One did a belly flop And then there were five.

Five jolly leprechauns Ran through door. One ran back again And then there were four.

Four thirsty leprechauns Sat down to tea. One didn't like it And then there were three.

Three tiny leprechauns Hid inside a shoe. One fell out again and then there were two.

Two laughing leprechauns Went for a run. One ran very fast And then there was one.

One lonely leprechaun Wanted to have fun. He joined all rest And then there were none."

This poem lends itself well to lessons on adjectives, verbs, and rhyming words. Use different colored crayons, markers, or highlighters to determine answers.

I hope these ideas are useful and ignite your own creativity!

The homemade hot chocolate creates camaraderie and is just downright enjoyable on a cold day! Here's where we'll select our beverage recipe: http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com .

Some Energy burning - yes, I realize that hot chocolate has sugar that's going to escalate things :-), so we'll immeadiately do something very taxing!

We'll start with some jumping jacks. The kids love them and that helps with coordination too.

Then we'll do a "bear hunt" and walk around house doing movements for marching, swimming, climbing - hey, we'll probably go up and down stairs a few times too. That'll give me a nice workout!

And then, to cool down, we'll play a little tug of war with our puppy.

Some quite time - after our physical activity, we'll all sit down on sofa and I'll read to them.

Right now, we are reading two books. And, one I'm pretty sure they'll want to hear today is some more of "Where Red Fern Grows". I'm just dreading getting to end!!!

Some cooperative working together - it'll be getting close to dinner time by now. So, as a family, we'll set table and get everything ready to enjoy our heart-warming stew!

So, whether you follow or plan or create your own, winter indoor acitivies can be fun and educational without emptying your wallet or leaving you exhausted. Plan your own "shut-in" day.