Thousands of Mississippians woke Tuesday in hopes of seeing a beautiful blanket of snow. Instead most saw nothing but a cold, wet day. For many precautionary school cancellations mean a day inside trying to keep the children occupied.

Try these seven great ideas to kill a little time (so you don’t lose your mind inside today):

1). Shaving cream: For little ones, this foamy stuff is from the gods. And if the Heavenly Father didn’t provide the real snow today, you can make a little snow of your own. Mix a can of shaving cream in a pan with a generous amount of cornstarch. Experiment with different amounts of each to achieve a snowy consistency.

2). Plastic cling wrap (aka Saran Wrap) and paper: Ball up a sheet or two of paper (printer/copy paper, old bill, newsprint, whatever you have around). Pull the box out of the kitchen drawer, rip off some and ball it up around the paper. Instant (and safe) indoor snowball. Repeat a few times and then prepare for a snow battle.

3). Balloons: A couple of balloons, some paper plates (or a piece of cardboard in a pinch) an you have yourself the makings of a balloon tennis game.

4). Coffee filters: If you’re old school and still use a coffee maker (or you forgot to clean out the cupboard when the Keurig arrived, pull out a few coffee filters, scissors and watercolor paints (or markers). Smooth out the filter and fold it in half, then again and again to make a triangle/pizza-slice shape. Cut shapes along the folded edge. Unfold and you have a one-of-a-kind flakes of snow. Decorate with paint or markers, string them up together to make a snowflake garland.

5). Painters tape: The blue stuff (or even plain masking tape) can make a great race track for the car lovers or an low (and safe) balance beam for would-be Olympians.

6). Contact paper: Take a piece of clear contact paper and use transparent tape to tape a large square to a window (sticky side out). Use small light-weight items as decoration (toothpicks, cotton balls, plastic lids, cut paper, etc.).

7). Shaving cream (part 2): We told you this stuff is cool. Mix approximately 3 cups of foamy shaving cream, 1 cup of white glue (like Elmer’s School glue) and 1 cup of flour. When all is mixed, you can divide it into smaller containers and use food coloring to make a rainbow of puff paint. You can apply it to paper, cardboard or other surface with a bottle such as an old glue bottle, mustard bottle or even a plastic sandwich bag with a small hole cut in the corner. Allow to dry overnight and poof – puffy art.