With most school districts in the region closing again today because of heavy snow, Danielle Vaughn of Crafton -- like thousands of other parents -- has been trying to come up with ways to entertain "a very energetic 8-year-old boy who's been stuck home since this weekend."

"He hasn't been outside," she said about her son, Josiah. So she's turned to some high-tech help like video On Demand to keep him moving.

"Every once in a while we get into the exercise mode and turn on some videos. We alternate doing school work -- worksheets, reading books -- with watching TV, playing on the computer, and turning on fitness/exercise shows on On Demand and having him work out."

The Carlynton school student especially likes On Demand's Hip Hop for Kids programming.

So begins Day 5 -- and counting -- of "cabin fever" for many in the region. The novelty of making snow angels and building snowmen has long passed and some are starting to go stir crazy inside.

Grownups aren't immune to cabin fever, either.

Pat Gutmann of Lawrenceville returned from a Christmas holiday trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., with her grandchildren -- Adam Snyder, 3, and Noah Snyder, 10 -- and believes she has found a good cure.

"I have lots of photos to put into scrapbooks. I do this for a hobby," she says. "Hopefully the weather will clear before I get all the photos done."

Scrapbooking is a serious hobby for her: she has five shelves filled with books she's made over the years. She also has been keeping busy with volunteer work in her community.

Robin Kear of Greenfield says she's also trying to be productive.

"I did my taxes, made a photo album and downloaded our yearly free credit reports," she said. "We are glad to have electricity and heat. My husband shoveled out the cars, driveway and sidewalk, and my 8-month-old takes lots of naps."

The historic storm this past weekend, frigid temperatures and additional snow Tuesday and overnight have left few options for parents to entertain their kids outside their home.

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium -- usually a mainstay for families looking for something to do -- is closed through Friday so crews can clear paths. The Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library is closed today and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History has been closed since the weekend.

The Carnegie Science Center, Carnegie Library system and other attractions closed Tuesday were weighing whether they'd reopen today.

The last time the city shut down like this -- aside from the G-20 summit in September -- was the March 1993 blizzard, which also dumped 20-plus inches on the region.

Compared with '93, there are many more high-tech home entertainment choices, at least for those who have Internet access -- and electric power.

It's a chance for kids to explore the many interactive websites geared to young Web surfers. Moshi Monsters is a popular free online game in which kids adopt animated monster characters and care for them. They're rewarded with Rox, which they can spend on virtual items for themselves and their monster pets -- a kind of kid-friendly Second Life.

On the PBS Kids site, visitors can watch PBS kids' videos and play games.

Kid Sites (www.kidsites.com) is a good road map to many children's websites -- educational, games, TV, video games, activities and crafts.

Missing school doesn't mean that learning has to stop. Kids Space at the Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org/div/kidspace) and the Anderson, S.C., County Library collection of websites for kids (www.andersonlibrary.org/ch-links.htm) have links to sites related to literature, science, arts and crafts and home school resources.

There are also low-tech activities and practical ways to pass time. Many families organize housekeeping activities, like getting kids to clean out a sock drawer or helping a neighbor with shoveling or errands.

Many adults are enjoying the snow days, too. In the blizzard of '93, we had plenty of home entertainment options, including TV and films on videotape -- the DVD wouldn't make its debut for another four years.

In 1993, the long snowy days and nights were the perfect time to catch up on movie watching. That meant a trek to the video rental store. Now, it's as easy as hitting the on demand channel for cable subscribers.

Online TV viewing options include websites like Hulu, Fancast, Funny or Die, Blip TV, the TV network sites and downloads from Amazon and iTunes. Netflix movie rental subscribers can stream their TV and movie picks for free online.

Reading books -- online or on paper -- is a tried and true way to pass the hours. For some, staring at gardening websites and seed catalogs works, too.

We can log on to Facebook and check in with other snowed-in friends, or visit Twitter and read the collection of tweeting complaints about the slow snow removal on city streets.

Thanks to advances in technology, cabin fever isn't what it used to be. But it's a good idea to keep a fresh supply of batteries for the radio, just in case.

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