Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, November 20, 1995                   TAG: 9511220004
SECTION: NEWSFUN                    PAGE: NF-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IF YOU'RE FEELING STUFFED ...

Or that at least one relative falls asleep in front of whatever football game is on TV, no matter how much noise everyone else is making?

After you've watched the huge balloons in the Macy's parade, stuffed yourself so you felt as big as one (a balloon, that is) and avoided helping with cleanup as much as possible, it's time for the real fun to begin.

You've got the whole rest of the day and three more days off from school. If your teachers were nice enough not to give you any homework, it's all play time!

The only people who go near the malls are the ones for whom Thanksgiving weekend means ``shop 'til you drop,'' so there's no chance of hanging out with friends there, even if your parents let you.

Here are some suggestions for what to do. . .

Going to the movies, bowling and skating are good choices, if the weather's bad.

It's a nice time of year to spend outdoors. Autumn provides one special activity that's impossible any other time of the year. Here's how it's played:

Go outside. Take a long gardening tool and gather together into a small area a large amount of the natural colorful objects that are covering the lawns. When a large amount has been collected, set aside the tool, raise your arms, lift your body up and propel it forward into the collection. In other words, rake some leaves and jump in them.

Before you run out of things to do and use that five-letter word - BORED - here are some other ideas to try:

Cook. There are lots of easy recipes kids can follow that don't require cooking or cutting. If you need an adult's help, make sure to work around his or her schedule. If you can read, you can follow a recipe. And don't think this is just for girls - most of the world's best chefs are men.

Write. Send a note or letter (a note's shorter) to a relative, someone you admire or even to the president (The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500). Make up a secret code with the alphabet or rhyme your letters. Make a family newspaper.

Move. Practice cartwheels, headstands and somersaults - forward and backward, dance, jump rope, pretend you're a cheerleader (guys, too).

Act. Put on a play. Create a shadow play: Hang up a sheet near a wall (ask for permission first) and place a light behind the sheet; turn off all the other lights and act out a play between the sheet and the light. Do a bag skit: Put objects from around the house (such as a rag, underwear, toys, a pencil, a spoon, etc.) into a paper bag; give a bag to each group; they must make up a skit using all the objects in the bag.

Be nice. Do something unexpected for your parents - make their bed, serve them breakfast, fold the laundry, help a younger brother or sister clean his or her room (after you do yours) - clean out the car.

Get some fresh air. Take a bike ride, jog around your house or up and down your driveway several times, use a hacky sack, see how many times your can dribble a basketball around an obstacle course you set up, play tug of war or wall ball, take the dog for a walk.

Create. Make a ``me'' book with photos or magazines pictures, interview family members and write down a family history, make a diary and write in it, make a list of all of the things you like about yourself (don't forget to add to it sometimes), make a happiness list (events that made you feel good), pretend someone gave you a lot of money - how would you spend it?

Most of these activities cost little or no money. Try to see how much fun you can have for free. You'll probably discover things you never knew you enjoyed and learn new things about yourself, too.