Inclement weather plan

Photo by Scott Harmsen | Kalamazoo Gazette

This past Monday was an unplanned inclement weather day.  Schools in our county were closed, including our preschool, due to power outages following storms.  Last January, my schedule was really thrown way off by days and days of unexpected school closure due to snow and ice.  Having always been very schedule-intensive and routinized, an impromptu week(s) at home really threw us off.  Being snowed in without activities planned was interesting, to say the least.  At that point, I decided to at least have a mental list of activities for future closures.  I needed a plan.  Shortly after I had that little epiphany, I saw this blog post from Manic Mommies echoing the same sentiment. 

My five point plan for managing inclement weather days is as follows:

1)  Resist the urge to make the day a "pajama day". 

Unless someone is sick, we plan to be dressed, whether we are snowed in or not.  Getting up and dressed is analogous to NYC addressing its graffiti problem years ago when it began getting crime under control.  When we remain in PJ's for too long, one of my children (whose anonymity will be protected) thinks that anything goes.  A quick change into clothes -- even just our super casual "comfy" clothes -- sends a message that a weather day is not be wasted. 

2)  Write out a schedule. 

Since this day at home was likely thrust upon us, I scramble to quickly set the tone and manage expectations.  Waking up to snow on the ground (at least here in the south where it is unusual) is the mental equivalent of walking into a classroom, finding the normally stern teacher absent, and seeing a very docile-looking sub sitting in her place.  In two words:  PARTY TIME. 

Writing out the day's schedule, discussing the day's schedule and periodically referencing/reiterating the schedule sets the expectation that a plan will be followed.  Kudos if you/your children can do this mentally (bonus points!); we tend to need a focal point. 

3)  Be indulgent. 

That might sound counter to points 1 & 2.  However, a weather day is the perfect time to get out an activity or toy that might not be in the rotation as much as others due to the amount of effort/time required.  On weather days, there is nothing but time... hours and hours of big spans of time. For us, an indulgent activity might be the Easy Bake Ovens, or one of the toy communities (with the thousands of pieces) -- basically the toy equivalent of Monopoly and the time investment required.  Have a tea party, paint, play the games with all the tiny pieces. 

4)  Vary activities and scenery.

 Offer an array of activities, e.g., arts and crafts, reading, hands on activities, something cognitive in nature, a movie, and games.  Try to mimic the variety that would have been offered at school.  Also, try to utilize a few different rooms and locations (cleaning up each area as you move to the next).  Even the smallest of spaces can provide some variety (think kitchen table for arts and crafts, your child's bedroom floor for games, the master bedroom for reading time and the family/living room for movies).  I don't know why this works for children, but it sure seems to do the trick.

5)  Introduce something novel. 

This point is similar to point 3, but is designed for buy-in.  Have a couple of items on hand that are new.  For our age group, this might be a new coloring book and a new box of crayons.  Have a new game stashed away.  Having something new/novel to introduce goes a long, long way, and the item does not have to be significant or expensive.  The Target dollar bins are treasure troves for these types of materials, as is their bargain DVD shelf ($5 DVDs). 

Finally, allow some free time, for yourself and the children.  Schedule free time in the morning and afternoon to give everyone a breather.  Take a break, enjoy some quiet, and allow the monkeys to enjoy the freedom that a weather day brings.  An inclement weather day should be fun.  Again, two words:  PARTY TIME!