After a painstaking few minutes of scanning the local news station, the list finally rolls around to your area’s school district, accompanied by the two words that will make any child scream for joy: snow day. A mid-week respite from algebra, science and social studies is fun for everyone; is there any parent out there who wouldn’t mind a night off from homework help duties? Celebrate the day off with one of these four family-friendly activities. Play-doh pies will keep snow-bound kids busy, and if you can hit the road, head to your nearest kids’ gym to monkey around in.

Sledding/snow activities

South School
8 Farm Road
New Canaan, CT
203-594-4300

If the weather outside is frightful and driving is out of the question, grabbing a sled or toboggan and heading to the nearest hill is an active, entertaining way to spend the day. Take a few rides down your nearby schoolyard hill; there’s nothing wrong with going to school on a snow day, as long as you’re outside of it! New Canaan’s South School has a popular hill, and great playground, for any nearby families. Running up and down hills with a sled in tow will tire your brood out, and spending the rest of the day under a blanket with a movie will be the perfect ending to your snow day.

The Power of Play-doh

Target
25 Boston Post Road,
Orange, CT 06477
203-859-3695
http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/store_details.jsp?&storeNumber=1955&ref=tgt_adv_xs000000&afid=storeloc_pharm&cpng=CT&lnm=Orange_1955

Keeping warm in your cozy kitchen can be a better option than braving the cold. Visit your nearest grocery before the next “Nor’Easter” strikes, and you’ll be prepared for some baking and building fun. Pre-bought Play-doh is a thing of the past when you can make your own and dye your dough any color in the spectrum. Stop by your nearest grocery or Target for some flour, salt, vegetable oil and cream of tartar. Stir with hot water over low heat until the dough thickens. Remove from the pot, knead vigorously and color with food dye. One play-doh pizza coming up.

Jump Around

The Little Gym
125 Simsbury Road
Avon, CT 06001
860-237-4373
http://thelittlegymavonct.com/AvonCT/Pages/default.aspx

or

The Trampoline Place
275 Putnam Road
Plainfield, CT 06387
860-779-7999
http://www.trampolineplace.com/index.htm

Releasing some pent-up energy, in a more constructive way than turning the living room into a blanket fort, will keep the kids occupied and give you a moment’s peace. Head to any of Connecticut’s multi-purpose gyms, specially designed for your youngsters. Wauregan’s Trampoline Place is your destination for high-flying fun, with trampolines as far as the eye can see. Get a great work out and learn some new skills to practice at home on the couch. Avon’s The Little Gym offers dance, karate, gymnastics, and most importantly, something for every one of your kids. Sign up for a free day of instruction, or keep the fun going with an eight-week session.

Fire up the Kiln

The Claypen
997 Farmington Avenue
West Hartford, CT
860-233-3322
http://www.theclaypen.com/index.php

Design, paint and create your own vase, teapot, clock or more, without leaving the kitchen a mess. Art centers throughout the Nutmeg State are ready to provide some artistic inspiration and help your kids to leave with a new creation to display in the dining room. For the price of your selected piece of art and $4 per half hour of studio time, West Hartford’s The Claypen is your ticket to a fun, school-free day of artistic inspiration. Hands on Pottery, conveniently located in Fairfield and Darien, is another locale to fire up some creative ceramics.