KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers Kansas City, Missouri. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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Extremely cold weather on Friday meant some school districts canceled in-person learning.
With snow on the way, school cancellations could happen again early next week.
KSHB 41 Kansas City reporter Alyssa Jackson spent time Friday with parents and kids at Wonderscope, a children's museum in South Kansas City.
Many of the parents were spending the day inside the museum with their toddlers and kids because it was too cold to be outside.
Norm Carpenter picks up his grandson once a week to spend one-on-one time together.
On Friday, his grandson was waiting for Carpenter to show up.
Carpenter said: "I ring the doorbell and hear him behind the door — 'He's here, he's here, he's here!"'
While this time of year can be challenging for parents, it's also special for grandparents.
Talk of winter weather takes Carpenter back to how snow days worked when he was raising his children.
"We were in Spokane, Washington — schools never closed, snow days and everything," Carpenter said. "You went to school and there was no change whatsoever. It was a challenge for the kids sometimes to get on the bus and wait outside in the snow for the bus to come."
Temperatures dropped to single digits Friday afternoon. Indoor activities will likely be the go-to for parents over the next several days, unless they decide to brave the bone-chilling cold to play in the snow with their kids.
However, school districts sometimes must make a game time decision with 24 hours notice or less if there are any modifications or cancellations.
"It can be a little stressful not knowing if school will be open or not," said Morgan Huggins, a parent who has a son in preschool. "When schools do close it's usually for a good reason."
Another parent, Gaby Roemer, is a homeschool parent. When there's inclement weather, she's able to watch her friend's children when the parents have to work.
"Kids get restless when they don't have activity so we keep structure," Roemer said. "Homeschooling in the morning, learn ABC's, color, then an activity to move their body."
A day off school means in many ways, parents are still working.
"What can we do to make them run around and hopefully nap the rest of the day?" Huggins said.
While some parents are excited for winter to hit this weekend, there are others who are ready for the next season.
"I'm looking forward to spring — a nice time to be able to have the sun on our faces again without being freezing outside," said Kelsey Flanigan, a parent.
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