Snow days are notorious amongst high schoolers as being lazy days. While that is true,   and nothing is better than being alone on the couch all day with a bag of chips, snow days are also great opportunities to do some pretty cool activities that can’t necessarily be done year round.

Here are some ideas for those people who would rather brave the cold outdoors:

1. Go Sledding.  

• Sledding is an obvious solution to snow day boredom, and it’s fun for all ages. Sledding can happen anywhere from the street to backyards with steep hills. Some of the best places in Wakefield to sled are the golf course, and CASL soccer field.

2) Participate in a snowball fight.

• Snowball fights may be one of the most underrated winter activities ever. Good snowball fights can last for hours, and can result in long lasting alliances and new friendships, and some amazing memories. Snow that is easily packable and not too soft, wet, or dry is best for snowball making.

3) Making snow ice cream.

• Snow-cream is one of the coolest things to do on a snow day. To make snow-cream all you have to do is get a few cups of snow, some milk, salt, and vanilla extract. There’s a great WikiHow article on how to make different flavors to really spice things up.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Ice-Cream-with-Snow

4) Snow Paint.

• Snow painting may seem like a strange idea, but it’s a surprisingly fun thing to do. All it takes is a squirt bottle, some food coloring and water. This creates “snow paint”, which is an easy and mindless way to really bring out your inner Monet this winter.

5) Snow Forts and Igloos.

• Forts and Igloos are the holy grail of outdoor snow activities. Start by getting a group of friends or even recruit siblings to start packing the snow, and by the end of the day, a majestic snow castle will get even the least outdoorsy person excited. They can even be decorated!  

For the more indoorsy type:

1. Read a book.

• Pretty self explanatory. Reading a book is calming, and sitting in the warm indoors on a nice chair reading a good book can do wonders for mental health. Buzzfeed Books has   some awesome recommendations to get a list started.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lincolnthompson/53-books-you-wont-be-able-to-put-down#.axywxwkLN

2) Have a DIY spa day.

• A day completely snowed in is also a great opportunity to do some homemade spa treatments. This article from GLAMOUR has some amazing tricks and tips for making the most out of items you already have at home: http://www.glamour.com/lipstick/2008/11/13-diy-at-home-spa-tricks/7

3) Binge watch an entire series on Netflix.

• Well, maybe not a whole series, but for those who enjoy that type of thing, snow days are the perfect time to catch up on some shows that have been neglected for school work, or to start the newest TV trend. Shows with short episodes, like “The Office” are good for snow days because you actually may have a chance of getting through a season or two.

4) Hot cocoa and a movie.

• Hot chocolate is a winter staple, and snow days are the best time to bring out the marshmallows and put on a really good movie. It’s relaxing and really brings out those wintery feelings. Some great winter movies that can keep you entertained are listed on this article by Popsugar:
• http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Best-Snow-Movies-13219938#photo-13219947

5) Video game marathon

• Xbox and Playstation users around Wake County are always some of the most excited when they hear about a cancellation. If playing video games is a new hobby, or even one that’s been a go-to on rainy days for years, IGN has an extensive list of video games to be played on modern consoles.

http://www.ign.com/top/modern-games

Snow days are always a very appreciated and unexpected break from the school week, but why not actually use them for making memorable experiences instead of wasting them? Not only are snow days few and far between, but they’re opportunities to make some of the most amazing memories with friends, and to get the most out of a day off. So whether it’s going out and braving the cold for a neighborhood snowball fight or staying in and curling up under a blanket fort with a good book and a hot cocoa, snow days are some of the best days of the school year, and deserve to be taken advantage of to the fullest.