No School This Week–What to Do?

Faced with a week off of school in the middle of winter often leaves parents wondering what to do to fill the time, but in the midst of such a mild winter, there should be plenty to do to keep the little ones busy!

Enjoy the Mild Weather

Head outside to play in the backyard or ride bikes in the driveway. Take advantage of one of our local parks or go hiking–North Farms Park has some trails or you can check out Branford Supply Pond with plenty of easy, stroller-friendly trails. Keep the kids busy along the way by creating a list of items for them to find on the trail.

Museums and More

Connecticut has a long list of museums to check out that suit any age range with 153 listed on museumstuff.com. Some of our family favorites are the Peabody Museum in New Haven, Kid City in Middletown and the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. New Haven Museum is offering a variety of vacation week programs with events running Tuesday, Feb. 21 to Friday, Feb. 24.

The libraries also have several museum passes available that give you free or reduced admission to a dozen different attractions throughout the state including Mystic Aquarium (reduced admission), the Beardsley Zoo (free admission), the Connecticut Science Center (reduced admission), the Discovery Museum (free admission) and more. For a full list of museums and discounts, visit the libaries' Museum Passes page (http://www.nbranford.lioninc.org/museumpass.htm).

Get Out and Go

There are so many fun things to do in the area and when school is in session, it's hard to fit some of the fun stuff in. Here are some things that we like to do or places we have been meaning to get to.

• Ice skating at Northford Ice Pavilion
• Take in a movie at Regal Cinemas in Branford. Current kid flicks in theaters include The Secret World of Arrietty, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Star Wars: Episode I–The Phantom Menace and Hugo.
• Bowl some frames at AMF Bowling Center in East Haven or for a change of pace, try Johnson's Duckpin Lanes in Hamden.
• Check out Woodbury Ski Area. Despite Connecticut's lack of snow, Woodbury has made plenty and offers, skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing.

Library Programs

Both the Edward Smith Library and the Atwater Library offer a variety of activities for kids of all ages. Here's a list of the regularly scheduled activities.

• Tots and Tunes on Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m. at Edward Smith Library
• Lunch & Learn on Tuesday at noon at Edward Smith Library
• Lego Club at the Smith Library on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
• Baby & Me on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Atwater Memorial Library
• Stories & Craft on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Edward Smith Library

Rainy Day Fun

Rain putting a damper on outside fun? There’s plenty to do inside, too. Bust out the paints and let your little artists create some masterpieces; rent a movie, pop some popcorn, dim the lights and snuggle up on the couch; build a blanket fort; play hide-and-seek; read some books; do a puzzle; have a living room dance party. Sometimes it’s nice to just hang out at home.