With winter officially here, and the New Year upon us, it will soon be time to start back up at school for the 2018 year. And with those two combined, comes the threat of snow days, stormy weather and school cancellations. Take these steps over the holiday break to prepare for the impending snow days in the New Year and know what to do so that you can initiate your action plan at a moment’s notice.
Get the Information
The most important thing when it comes to a snow day is to be informed. This means to check the weather forecast and its predicted severity, as well as to inform yourself about what is closed or cancelled. The local radio station is a good place to do this, and they will likely have regularly updating reports, as well as weather forecasts. School websites typically post when school is cancelled on their website, and for other businesses or locations, visit their website as well to see if it has been updated. In addition, social media options, such as Facebook and Twitter are great ways to see up to the minute information. Finally, for school bus cancellations, you can view the Simcoe County Bus Information website.
Do something fun
Instead of seeing snow days as a cause of stress, or an unexpected burden, look at them as a chance to have some fun or do some things that you wouldn’t regularly get to do on a typical Tuesday or Wednesday. If you have young kids, and are able to take the day off work, this will give you an uninterrupted day together, where you can do crafts, play games, bake treats, or maybe even play out in the snow if the weather subsides later in the day. To set you up for this, get a container and create the “Snow Day Basket.” In it, you can put things like arts and crafts supplies, a deck of cards, or a few board games. You can also have a similar basket in the pantry so that you’re ready for snow day baking. Keep a stock of the staples such as flour, baking powder, sugar, and vanilla.
Find a babysitter
If you know that it will be difficult for you to stay home and look after the kids on snow days, put a plan in place for what you can do for alternative childcare options. For example, if there is a neighbor who could come over, a relative, or maybe there is a local student who is free certain days of the week. Whichever option you are choosing, get in contact with these people and put a plan in place so that when the snow day arrives it can simply be put into action and you just have to make a call.
While snow days may be inconvenient for parents, and a celebration for the kids, there’s a way to meet in the middle and keep everyone happy. Do a little planning, reach out for support, and make this the year that you all get to enjoy snow days together.