A Snow Day Survival Guide for Parents

So here's the scenario: The kids were too excited to sleep late because of the snow. It took 20 minutes to find everyone's hats, boots, mittens and snowpants. They went outside for 10 minutes, then came back in because it was too cold. They have dumped a wet pile of clothing at your feet, they're already looking bored, and you haven't even finished your first cup of coffee.

Let's let the experts give you a few ideas on how to keep your composure, and maybe even make this a day to remember.

1). Create a book. Carol Waxman, Children's Services Librarian at the in West Hartford, suggested that children tell a story while you write it down. You can print it out from the computer or write the words on construction paper, leaving room for illustrations on each page. The illustrations can be magazine cutouts or drawings, and a parent can even take turns drawing every other page.

You can find story prompts at Scholastic.com or create your own. Here are just a few:

For younger kids: When the children saw the small door in the towering tree, they knew they had to open it, but they couldn't believe what they saw inside. ...

For older kids: The old house was a strange place to take a vacation, and when the rustling sound started in the attic, everyone had their theories on what could be causing it. ...

2. Make colorful snowflakes. Heather Baker, head of children’s services at Canton Public Library, offered coffee-filter snowflakes as an easy, creative craft for a snow day.

Simply dot colors on the filter with a marker, add drips of water and watch the colors spread into interesting patterns and shapes. “It can be really fun for older kids and easy for younger kids,” Baker said.

Another technique is to cut the filter into strips, color a dot on the bottom of each and then dip them into water and watch the colors separate as the water travels up the paper. “It’s neat to watch water travel uphill,” she said. Of course the more adventurous can combine colors, cut the filters into various shapes and try different water techniques such as spritzing or immersion.

Baker also suggests author Jan Brett’s website as another source of fun. It contains color pages, activity ideas and numerous projects. “It’s really diverse, and it’s all book-based,” she said.

3. Eat chocolate. Jeanne Mainville Denalsky and Suzanne Sabia, co-owners of Pastels Catering in Simsbury, recommend making hot chocolate from scratch and getting creative with marshmallows.

Here's how you do it:

"Have your kids ever had home-made hot chocolate – not the kind that comes in the package that you add boiling water to, but the real, made-from-scratch stuff?  Certainly, you and everyone else has stocked up on milk, so start by heating it gently on the stove. Next, whisk in powdered cocoa according to the directions on the label.  If you have sweetened cocoa, you’re all set, but if not, add in sugar to taste.  Just be sure the sugar is dissolved before serving.

"Enter the marshmallows.  Instead of tossing them into the hot cocoa, be adventurous.  Melt semi-sweet chocolate and let the kids dip the marshmallows.  They can further their creativity by rolling them in smashed leftover candy canes, chopped nuts or coconut.  We like to use long wooden skewers to keep the little ones safe, but if you don’t have those on hand, the tines of a fork work just as well.  In case you have a box of graham crackers tucked away from summertime s’mores making, smash some up in a baggie and roll your chocolate covered marshmallow in those for Reverse S'Mores. Sit in front of your warm fire with one of these and you’ll swear you can hear those summer evening crickets chirping."

4. Bring the outdoors in. Finding activities to keep children busy when the weather does not allow them to go outside to play can be challenging for parents, said Dorothy Contrastano, training coordinator with the family advocacy group Connecticut FAVOR Inc., but there are ways for caregivers to entertain their children while keeping their own sanity.

Contrastano, who hosts a “Parent Information Series” in partnership with the Southington Youth Services Department, said when her children were young, she would bring snow into the bathtub so they could play and make their own art without needing to go out into inclement weather. Parents may also add food coloring in advance so children have different colors to work with, she said.

“Sometimes when they are unable to go outside, you just need to find a way to bring the outdoors to them,” she said.

When all else fails ,and it seems as if nothing is going to work, Contrastano said the most important thing for parents to remember is that the long snow day will eventually pass.

5. Keep a sense of humor. Avon Patch's parenting columnist, Clementina Verge, had these words of wisdom:

Place a towel on the floor by your entry door so boots or wet paws don't make a mess, and keep the laundry basket nearby so all wet clothes go in at once for a quick trip to the laundry room. Get out the puzzles, do arts and crafts, bake and decorate cookies, or read by the fireplace. Of course, you and your family could also spend the day cuddled under a blanket, catching up on favorite TV shows. Whatever you do, enjoy the magic of each season, and remember what Albert Camus once wrote, "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."