3. Go for a Family Bike Ride. When was the last time you dusted off all the bikes and helmets and kneepads? Just because you’re not going on a day-long outing doesn’t mean you can’t actually leave the house. You can even stop for ice cream on the way back! Or, if you don’t want to venture that far, let the kids ride their bikes through the many thousands of leaves that are very likely not raked as of yet in your backyard. You might get lucky and the leaves might all land in a nice and neat pile as the kids fly around the yard.
4. Play Bingo in the Sukkah. Visit http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/ and check out their customizable bingo cards. The cards can be printed for free; everyone loves bingo and chocolate chips make the best bingo chips.
5. Make Stuffed Cabbage. What? I’ll explain. To start, my grandmother always made stuffed cabbage for the second days of Sukkot, so now we do too. And second, it’s a very long activity and even little kids can get the hang of it. My kids have been helping me make it for years and it’s something they always look forward to. In our house, it kind of goes together with decorating the sukkah, as in “Is it decorate the sukkah and make stuffed cabbage day yet?” It’s fun, it’s mindless which is perfect because you don’t have to think – and it’s delicious. An excellent recipe for stuffed cabbage can be found in the Spice and Spirit cookbook.
6. Take a Bath. Not you. Although, you definitely deserve one. Maybe, after the kids are asleep, you can pick up the book you’ve been reading for the last six months – one page a night before passing out – and actually read a few pages before you fall asleep in a hot bath. Maybe. But right now, the kids are filthy so let’s focus.
Once you’re all done melting chocolate, playing in the sukkah and stuffing cabbage rolls, it’s likely that the family might be a little dirty. Don’t just give the kids a regular bath; give them a glow in the dark bath. Drop glow sticks (any party store should have them) into the bath, plop the kids into the water and shut the bathroom lights – instant fun while getting clean. Multi-tasking is the best. Just, please, stay next to your kids in the tub; staying safe is always the most fun.
There’s really nothing wrong with staying home on Chol HaMoed – you don’t even need to have a reason. The goal of a day trip is to have fun as a family, but sometimes a day long trip can seem very overwhelming. Staying home and doing low-key activities fills the need just as well as a big adventure – and that’s being together as a family and having fun – together.