School's Closed. It Looks Like Rain. What's A Parent To Do?

Yom Kippur, the Jewish high holiday, began Tuesday evening and continues through Wednesday. Madison public schools are closed.

We have already posted some information for families who will be observing Yom Kippur.

And what about those families that are not?

Here's the National Weather Service forecast for Wednsday:

Wednesday: A chance of light rain before 8am, then scattered showers, mainly between 8am and 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. South wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 8pm and midnight, then a chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

So what do you do on a rainy day school holiday? Let us know your suggestions in the comments! If you end up doing some sort of arts and crafts, going somewhere fun, or something else you can take a picture of ... share it with us!

Here are some ideas:

Call the Scranton Memorial Library and find out if there is room in any of the programs they have scheduled for Wednesday. Those programs include a Gallery Art Show all day, a creative writing program at 3:45 p.m. and chess club at 4:30 p.m. Both the creative writing program and the chess club are specifically designed for children.

From 7 to 9 p.m. at the Scranton Memorial Library, the Happiness Club is meeting. The speaker will be Karen Scarfo, a certified Etiquette Coach. So, if a day with your children leaves you thinking that you could use a strong dose of civility, this could be just the thing.

Call the library first at 203-245-7365 to make sure there is room in any of these programs. Scranton Memorial Library also provides free passes to a wide variety of area attractions, including Mystic Seaport and the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Again, call the library to see what is available, and read more about the free pass program on the library website.

On Wednesday night at R.J. Julia Booksellers, Tony La Russa, "One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and a Half Games Back, and one Final Championship Season" will start at 7:00 p.m.

One Last Strike by legendary baseball manager Tony La Russa is a thrilling sports comeback story. La Russa, the winner of four Manager of the Year awards—who led his teams to six Pennant wins and three World Series crowns—chronicles one of the most exciting end-of-season runs in baseball history.  With fascinating behind-the-scenes details how, under his expert management, the St. Louis Cardinals emerged victorious in the 2011 World Series despite countless injuries, mishaps, and roadblocks along the way.

So, if your child is a baseball fan, this is prime bribe material. You could throw in the book as a bonus for good behavior. R.J. Julia is located at 768
Boston Post Rd., Madison, CT 06443. Call 203-245-3959 first to make sure there is room.

Madison Art Cinemas was closed for a few days for upgrades and improvements, but should be open Wednesday. Titles and times for Wednesday include:

Both shows would only be appropriate for much older kids, of course, or parents in need of escape from younger kids.

From the Family Education website, here are some ideas:

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/hobbies-and-interests/games/33402.html#ixzz27WRwFUSy

If you don't mind making a mess, here are a few more fun ideas from Redbook. The first two have to do with splashing around in the bathtub and lots of paint.

How about baking some cookies? If you're not the from scratch type, you can run over to Madison Stop & Shop and get some slice and bake. And Boston.com has a recommendation for those of you who need something even easier ... dip Oreos in melted chocolate. I promise you, if you do that, you will not only be creating a fabulous treat, you'll also be creating a fun rainy day memory for your kids.