MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With an ice storm moving into the Mid-South, many school districts are already closed for Thursday and you could find yourself at home with your kids.
While you won't be able to build snowmen with all this ice, there are still some fun ways to ride out the storm with your family.
Jessica Smith is one mom expecting to spend her Thursday at home with her two children, ages three and seven.
"If anything the pandemic has prepared us for something like this and it’s unfortunate because the last two times we’ve missed school there’s been snow and that's entertainment in itself," Smith said.
There will be much less snow and more ice this week. One idea for entertainment – a virtual museum tour. Google’s Arts and Culture site allows you to visit museums all over the world from your house! Pick a museum and exhibit and dive into history.
Hunger may strike while on the virtual tour and that could be the perfect time to cook your favorite snack.
While cooking, it could be a good time to remind your kids about stove and oven safety. Wear mitts whenever handling hot objects or turn pots to the side to avoid knocking anything over.
If there’s no power, there always games to play. Now is the time to break out that board game. If you don’t have one – make one! You can create a board, make up the rules and even build game pieces.
There’s also easy free games you can get on your phone, like charades or heads up and you can never go wrong with a deck of cards and play classic card games or more modern ones like Uno.
Another option is reading. Choose a book, read it out loud with your child. If your kid is older, ask them to act out a review of what they just read. For more active children with limited outside options, but can’t go outside, try searching for kids versions of yoga on YouTube.
Whatever you decide to do, just make it fun! Prepare early, so you can stay safe, stay inside and avoid being on the roads for the next couple days as ice sets in.