The family that hobbies together, stays together

Family cookbook
Create a book of family favourites and take turns adding new meals to the family cookbook. Share cooking duties and take pictures before the meal is served. Some candid action shots during and after the meal might offer a potentially humorous touch, if that's your cup of tea. Add photos and notes to the cookbook to enjoy for years.

Talk about it
True, it's not really a hobby, but scheduling a daily de-brief time where everyone gets the chance to talk about his or her day will keeps the lines of communication open and help you get to know each other as individuals and as a family.

Start a collection
Make rock collecting a fun family activity by taking special trips to comb beaches, parks and forests for cool specimens. Jazz up the collection by displaying the rocks in a specially designated space at home and researching each rock's origin and type (get out those old geology textbooks) and include the information on handmade flash cards. Not into rocks? No problem. There are an infinite number of possibilities here, from stamps and books to bottlecaps and dolls. Your imagination is the only limit.

Time capsule
Put together a mini time capsule by having all of your family members write a quick note about ‘what I'm thinking about right now'. Also, during the month, have everyone choose an object or event (there are no rules here) that had special significance and put those in the capsule -- if you're lucky and all goes well, you'll need a bigger time capsule before long. Open it every few months, or as you see fit, to talk about how things have changed, then add new memories to the capsule.

For the birds
A great way to learn about your environment is to get out into it. Get a book about local birds and make it a project to spot them all. Grab some snacks and binoculars and you're ready to go. (Keep the bird-watching sessions about the same length as your child's attention span.)

Origami
The ancient Japanese art of paper folding is a great way to spend an afternoon. With interesting shapes, differing levels of difficulty and endless variations, origami can provide hours of fun for the whole family. Use creativity and art to talk about geography, history and wildlife. Visit the Internet for plenty of information for beginners.

Walk it off
Pick up a book of local hiking trails and take turns choosing a destination for a monthly hike. Spend the day outdoors (bring a picnic), and when the weather turns colder, investigate renting snowshoes or cross-country skis. Not only will you enjoy the time together but both parents and kids will reap the healthy benefits of an active lifestyle.

Storm trackers
Teach your children about the power of mother nature while tracking local weather systems. Search online weather sites or watch the weather update on the evening news to see what's coming up, then spend some time learning about the origins of these systems in order to demystify them. Instead of hiding under the bed when the thunder rolls, your family will be getting out the encyclopedia.

Build a family tree
Go back in time to discover your family's roots. Use the Internet, local library and relatives to put you on the path to more sources of information. Get everyone involved in researching the family tree and creating a document -- and maybe even a website for family members around the world to view -- for future generations to enjoy.

Volunteer
Appreciate all that you have by giving your time to organizations that help those less fortunate. Ask each family member what cause they'd like to participate in and if you get a consensus, fine. If not, try setting a schedule for helping out a second charity. Check out local food banks, soup kitchens and homeless shelters to find out how you can help. Do some good while working together and bonding as a family.