The Three Things That Need To Happen On A Doctor- Mom Snow Day

If we’re snowed in on a school day, dammit, we’re going to be productive!

It was the first day of spring, and this being Massachusetts, we had a snowstorm. Nor’easters are tricky to predict, and the projected impact was up, then down, then up again… 

I have clinic Monday afternoons, but Hubby left for business in Florida yesterday Sunday. So even if the meteorologists weren’t sure what was going to happen, I was. 

If school was cancelled, clinic was cancelled. 

And so it was. Now, I rarely have a whole day at home with the kids. Even on a weekend they have places to go, things to do: Babyboy has behavioral therapy, they both have swimming lessons, maybe a play date, usually family stuff…

But today was a blank slate. I love it!

Here’s what I think kids should get done on a snow day:

1. Something academic. It is, after all, a school day. And it doesn’t have to be homework. Heck, they don’t have to even know it’s learning. So after they did one sheet each from their homework packets (yes, preschoolers and kindergarteners get homework packets!), they also made their own picture- books. This is awesome clandestine learning: imagining and communicating a story, illustrating their ideas using pictures and words. (Then, we read these at bedtime):

  
2. Something creative. Yes, we made chocolate chip cookies. But, I consider that more academic: the measuring, the process. What’s truly creative is what they come up with themselves: While I was logged in to work and completely distracted, the kids’ loveys suffered life-threatening trauma. They dreamed up this elaborate narrative where one was attacked by a dog, and the other fell from a cliff. Then, they snuck into the bathroom closet and swiped a box of band aids and an Ace bandage. The drama continued all day long, and included the animals needing to escape from the hospital and survive in the polar wilderness… Not sure how it will end!

3. Something active. I convinced the kids that they had to help me shovel the driveway and clear off the car, and they bought it. Then, of course, snow people and snow angels and snowballs happened… We were all out surviving in the polar wilderness for awhile. 

What doesn’t need to happen on a snow day? Strict mealtimes, healthy requirements, television limits… They absolutely ate homemade chocolate chip cookies and premium ice cream while watching Cars. That’s when I cleared out my work inbox. 

Productive!