Date with Creativity

The year 2014 has started with quite a frozen outlook, especially in all  Northern parts of the continents. With the approach of Polar vortex,  many lakes and most of the land mass in the Northeast part of US is completely frozen. The beginning of the month, in the year 2014, has not yet ended and the Northern parts have already experienced a macro and micro version of Polar Vortex. With below freezing temperatures, a thick blanket of ice covering the land and schools declaring holidays due to inclement weather conditions, it is highly unlikely that kids can play outside to make snow angels or snowman. Even going to a friends house for a playdate may not be a feasible option.So what do kids do other than remain indoors? 
Most kids never complain when they are stuck inside. They now have all the excuse to watch their favourite cartoons and shows on TV, play video games or go to their favourite kid's site on a computer. Kids also love to play XBOX 360 or Wii. After all, why will parents deny them? Kids are having a healthy workout along with keeping them engaged for an hour or two. Well all of the above though good, can become quite routine.So how about trying something different?
I and my kids had a date with creativity on one of those frozen days. We thought of ways to make our home sunny. We pulled out the curtains, making way for the sun rays to enter and brighten the dark room. But the sight outside the window saddened us. Heavy snow and ice had covered the land. We closed our eyes and imagined a bright day and the activities we would do on a sunny day. We then decided to draw and decorate our window glass. Thanks to special markers(which could draw on glass), ideas poured through our mind and we went crazy. Kids imagined that we are taking a stroll in the garden on a sunny day. We started off by drawing a bright sun with flowers and all the tiny bugs and animals that would run around the flower garden. We drew birds flying in the sky and lush green grass so fresh that the morning dew has not escaped it yet. Butterflies have just come out of their cocoons and are exploring the garden, looking at the beautiful flowers and wondering which flower to sit on to drink some nectar.All the animals are so happy to see a sunny day that they all have come out to wish each other a happy and a good day. Kids then imagined being on a boat to spot a whale. We drew a huge whale. The whale brought with it lots of shells and goodies. We also drew whales friends - Starfish and Salmon fish. The friends in water are happy to see a sunny day. On spotting us, the whale lets out a jet of water. Using different shades of window markers, we made our windows look as colorful as possible. Kid's are happy to see a sunny day on our window glass. We are now happy to look at our window glass and feel the warmth of our hearts. The gloomy and cold weather outside the window is replaced by warm and sunny weather on the window glass. 
Kids and I had a date with creativity for more than one and half hours and we never got bored, even for a minute. We are looking forward to having another date with creativity. Maybe on a very hot day when it's not advisable or too dangerous to go outside. We may imagine snow, snow clad mountains and other snow activities and redraw the window glasses. But until then we have our sunny day to look into and smile at our accomplishment.
For those interested, take a look at our accomplishment's below. Maybe you could try with your own kids. Whatever the outcome, rest assured you will never regret it.​

Its yearly ritual to go to a beach once every summer. Just sitting in the sand and watching the distant ocean gives peace of mind. Glancing far into a distant sea calms my noisy mind. It somehow has the power to shut off other noises and some unknown calmness engulfs my wondrous mind. When I am at the beach, I am usually lucky to spot a sailboat.I am always happy to watch a sail boat in the distant sea. The ocean looks much more beautiful and pristine with boats riding with their colorful sails. Not to undermine the power of other motor driven boats or ships in the sea, but a sailboat for me represents one of man's achievement in utilizing wind energy in an environmentally friendly way. There is no loud noise of motors or propellers, but just the hush sound of wind. Beautiful sails can add color to the ocean, creating magic. The waves at the shore start of low and slow and with our indulgence tend to play with us by getting higher and foaming faster.
For kid's, beach is a play date. Apart from playing in sand and waves, the best part is to observe and collect the treasures brought ashore by high foaming waves. Collecting seashells of various sizes is the best part of visiting a  beach. Though the bag containing shells are placed in a corner of some shelf at home and forgotten, they can be used for creativity during harsh cold days in winter. Shells can be used as a canvas for painting. It can be fun to use these shells as a canvas to paint and draw. On another such freezing day, thus began our second fun date with creativity.From 3 year old to an adult, we all had a shell, glue, color sparkles, paint, sketch pens and brushes and each of us tried to create our magic on the shell canvas. After more than an hour painting and sparkling, we were proud of our accomplishments.

For those interested, take a look at our masterpieces ;-) below. Maybe you could try with your own kids. Whatever the outcome, rest assured you will have a great time. ​