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Show Snow may blanket the landscape, and chilly bundling up, but cold weather doesn't have to tum&tn-ilie- s .. temperatures may require inn couch potatoes or force them into hibernation. Winter's a real challenge for families because you . cant go boating or spend the day together at a park like you can in the summertime, says Alexander Kennedy, editorial director for Family Fan magazine. "But there are still plenty of fun things you can do to bring your whole family together even when the weather is less than desirable. Whether you're in the fogid Northeast or the for weather Southwest, winter and all is trimmings offer opportunities to get creative outdoors, rediscover a new place at activity, or huddle tq indoors and spend time together. Consider the following ideac Around the heard - Staying inside needn't mean sitting in front ofcompurer keyboards and television screens. I like to think of ways the. whole family can get involved in an activity, and I'm all about celebrating a family's heritage, says Donna Erickson, author of Daama Erickson's Fibulatu Funstuff for Families and host of the American Public Television show Dumas Day. Erickson recommends getting together for nostalgic storytelling. Have a ope recorder or video camera handy and ask different members Pago American Profile of the family to tell their stories about growing up, family vacations, or their accomplishments, she suggests. The best thing about this activity is the tape you have 20 or 30 years brer; Erickson says. Something that was a lot of fon one afternoon becomes a priceless family treasure laar in life, she says. Homemade food stiU brings families together; especially ifits around an ed taffy pull (see recipe opposite page), she says. Theres something about doing something so traditional that makes it fun, Erickson says. An indoor picnic, with a checkered tablecloth, cold hied chicken, potato salad, pickles, and chips, also can beat winter doldrums. Wear summer shirts and bus and play a beach music CD to set the mood, Erickson says. Games also provide hours of entertainment, Kennedy-says- . The traditional board games we enjoyed playing when we were kids, like Monopoly, Scrabble, or Boggle, are some of the best ones still, she says. Arts and crafts ate staple to e days, and everyone can participate, no mattre their skiU level, Kennedy says. Children can be creative with pipe cleaners, buttons, ldtaots, glue; and what haw you. For adults, winter is a great time to take on projects that cm range from building a wooden ship model (fine kits are available at hobby stores) to a twnvmatV table. "stay-insid- |