Bad weather calls for parental ingenuity

MOSES LAKE — Well. During the last month, give or take, the Columbia Basin has experienced serious cold, then snow, then cold, then ice storms, then rain. And fog. And the weekend could bring more snow.

The cold-snow-freezing-rain-rain-fog has badly scrambled school schedules – it’s so bad there are jokes about being in school until July 4 – canceled basketball games and wrestling matches. Meetings have been scratched, government agencies and private businesses have opened late or closed early or just stayed closed.

Schools have been closed for several days. “We’re going on day 9, I think, in Ephrata,” said Hannah Ferguson, Ephrata. Hannah let her kids work off some of their energy on the new big toy in the Moses Lake McDonald’s. The joint was jumping Thursday morning. “We’ve been here a lot,” said Erika Loeffler, Moses Lake.

“I just try to keep them entertained,” Hannah said. Her older son was not ready to go home, trying to negotiate for “just one more (time)” climbing the toy. “We already did one more,” Hannah said.

Erika sometimes takes her kindergartner and third-grader to AIM Gymnastics when they need to burn off some energy, she said – but AIM closes when school is closed. “So we come here,” she said.

The Columbia Basin Herald asked parents, and everybody else, what they were doing to handle the cold-snow-freezing-rain-fog.

Many parents have found workbooks or school lessons and assigned them to their children. Melinda Hearn assigned lessons, and come up with other activities. “Legos, ASL (American Sign Language), cooking, baking, cleaned her dolls and taught them manners,” Melinda wrote. She and her daughter were considering baking dog treats, she said.

“Lots of board games and card games,” wrote Shana Cole Chamberlain. “Playing outside, card games, board games, movies, Wii U, chores around the house, and reading every day,” wrote Jodie Wear Cox.

“But totally ready to get back to our routine,” Jodie wrote.

“Popcorn, Monopoly, chores, imagination,” wrote Natalie Moriarty. Homeschool parent Janie Turnbull said she keeps her kids busy with “crafts, playtime and lessons. This is a great time to learn about winter weather.”

“I have toddlers, so I’ve been bringing out a different toy bin each day to make it different,” wrote Jessie Truett Young. “Legos one day, car track the next, little people on day 3.” (Alas, Jessie is on day 9, she said.) Scott Woodham and his kids made ice lanterns, and Erin Lynn Kelly and her children made playdough.

"Cleaning closets," wrote Becky Villareal Jones. "So many lost things have been found."

Craig Byers used a different method. “They went to Grandma’s house,” he wrote.