Bitter Cold Blues: A Remedy

If you have kids in your life, or if you've been a North Country kid yourself, you know that winter can be a lot of fun - snowball fights, sledding, skiing, and so forth - but it can also be difficult. When the temperature dips below zero, as it is predicted to do this weekend, the difficulty is magnified. Many a kid who enjoys a well-bundled snowy adventure at fifteen or twenty degrees (Fahrenheit) will burst into tears when those numbers have a minus sign.

And when antsy young-uns are penned within four walls for two days straight, they might be okay, but the grown-ups who share the dwelling might have bald patches from pulling out hair. What to do?

Art helps, of course. Set out crayons and paper, scissors and glue, and the resident grown-up might have enough peace to fortify him- or herself with a caffeinated beverage. But still. To be cooped up is no fun. When my kids were small, I would often look for indoor places to bring them on biting cold days. And these days, North Country families have the Wild Center in Tupper Lake.

At the Wild Center, weekends have been designated as Winter Wildays, and Sundays are for Family Art and Nature. Each Sunday, visitors of all ages can enjoy an educational activity followed by a related art project. For example, the program for this coming Sunday, January 31st, promises fun with astrophysics:

"What Causes Winter? - Family Art and Nature Project (activity is great for children and families)
I'm sure some of us could do without all the cold, but in the Adirondacks, winter is an annual occurrence. Learn how the sun contributes to our seasons, and make a recycled sun catcher to hang in your window or garden when the temperature outside warms up."

Click here to see the Winter Wildays program through March 28th.

Then - get up & at'em! Bundle those tinies, head to Tupper Lake, and let them explore our wonderful North Country world through science, art, and fun!